Glass-Filled Polyamide meets flame retardance requirements.
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Press Release Summary:
Providing alternative to halogenated flame retardant formulations while meeting requirements for flame retardance, Chemlon® 225 GVNH consists of 25% glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 with UL 94 flammability listing of V0 at thicknesses down to 0.8 mm. Comparative tracking index of 600 V provides electrical performance required for device housings, circuit breakers, charge covers, and safety switches. Compound is also less dense, yielding lighter parts.
Original Press Release:
Glass-Filled Polyamide with Non-Halogen FR System Has Lower Density and Higher Tracking Index Than Halogenated Compounds
With More than Double the Tracking Index, New Chemlon® 225 GVNH Provides Superior Electrical Performance Required for Device Housings, Charger Covers, Other UL V0 Uses
PAWTUCKET, RI, U.S.A., July 29, 2009: A new 25% glass fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 compound provides injection molders with an alternative to halogenated flame retardant (FR) formulations while meeting stringent requirements for flame retardance, it was announced today by Chem Polymer, a unit of Teknor Apex Company.
Chemlon® 225 GVNH has a UL 94 flammability listing of V0 at thicknesses down to 0.8 mm. Its comparative tracking index of 600 V is more than double that of a comparable compound with a halogenated (typically brominated) FR formulation, providing superior electrical performance in automotive, residential, and appliance applications such as housings with snap-fit assembly, circuit breakers, charger covers, and safety switches. The new compound is also 14% less dense, yielding lighter parts.
Although the Chemlon product is currently UL-recognized only in black formulations, its FR formulation is expected to provide a broader range of colorability than brominated FR systems and non-halogenated ones based on red phosphorus, according to Richard Barnes, technical manager. Typically these permit only dark colors.
"Because non-halogenated FR systems have been more difficult to incorporate into glass-filled compounds than brominated ones, relatively few non-halogenated polyamides have been available, particularly in North America," said Barnes. "Our new Chemlon compound will provide a higher-performance alternative for molders seeking to serve the world market for components requiring flame retardancy."
Chemlon 225 GVNH is already in commercial use for the housing of an air filter used in a vehicle engine compartment (see photo).
CHEM POLYMER is an international supplier of engineering thermoplastics for the transportation, consumer products, and industrial markets. It produces reinforced and specially modified compounds of polyamide 6, 6/6, 6/10, and 6/12 under the Chemlon® brand. Founded in 1965, Chem Polymer was acquired by Teknor Apex in 2004. TEKNOR APEX COMPANY is a privately held firm with seven business units and 2,000 employees. It is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, U.S.A., manufactures at 12 locations in the U.S. and overseas, and sells in 86 countries, serving markets in the plastics and chemical industries. Visit www.teknorapex.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Americas: Teknor Apex Company, 505 Central Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02861 U.S.A. Tel:1-401-725-8000. Tel. from U.S. only: 1-800-237-3167. E-mail: chempolymer@teknorapex.com. Europe: Teknor Apex UK Ltd., Tat Bank Road, Oldbury, West Midlands B69 4NH, UK. Tel: 44-121-665-2105. Fax: 44-121-544-5530. Email: etpsales@teknorapex.co.uk. Asia: Singapore Polymer Corporation, 41 Shipyard Road, Singapore 628134. Tel: 65-6265-2544. Fax: 65-6265-1821. Email: apactpe@teknorapex.com.
