Welcome to the latest 4PLAS newsletter, this month we want to update you regarding materials that we are supplying into the Rail industry.
Safety is a must for all industries, but it is even more of a focus in areas of public transport and one of the greatest risks is fire. The materials used are expected to deliver high performance because people need time to escape safely in the event of a fire, therefore the use of materials that are highly resistant to fire are essential in providing the required time window to allow fpr safe evacuation.
Materials used in these applications are subjected by strict regulations due to the added difficulty of exiting public transportation vehicles, such as trains and aircraft.
In recent years, several standard requirements have been issued for many industries with high safety requirements, EN 45545-2 was issued in 2013 for railway applications and it became mandatory throughout Europe in 2016.
EN 45545-2 sets out the material specifications to be used in railway vehicles to protect them against fire in accordance with the test methods and criteria specified in the standard, depending on the place of use. Railway vehicles with long tunnel times or long journey times, as in sleeping cars, have additional demanding requirements, such as low smoke density and toxicity, high oxygen index and low heat release rate. These requirements become even more demanding as the hazard classes of railway vehicles increase.
4PLAS is committed to developing flame retardant products with various properties for different industries, particularly for the electrical and electronics industries and we have also recently developed many bespoke material solutions to meet the high safety requirements of the public transport industry.
Among those recently approved are PA6, PA66 and PA66/6 fire resistance grades to meet the demanding requirements for application classes R6-R22-R23 in accordance with EN 45545-2. These products can be safely used in electrical and electronic applications for railway vehicles, such as insulators, switches, relays and connectors.
PA6, 30% glass fibre reinforced, flame retardant - halogen & red phosphorus free, heat stabilised, natural, EN 45545 compliant
HL2
HL2
PA6, 30% glass fibre reinforced, flame retardant - halogen & red phosphorus free, heat stabilised, natural, EN 45545 compliant
HL3
HL3
PA6.6, 30% glass fibre reinforced, flame retardant - halogen & red phosphorus free, heat stabilised, natural, EN 45545 compliant
HL3
HL3
PA6.6/6, 30% glass fibre reinforced, flame retardant - halogen & red phosphorus free, heat stabilised, natural, EN 45545 compliant
HL1
Should you wish to discuss these materials or any of our existing products further, or wish to suggest any topics or specific applications you want us to cover please let us know and we will try and include them.
Alternatively if you have a new compound application or a problem grade you would like replaced, please contact us at [email protected] or call us on 0870 446 0424 and we would be happy to assist.
