Safety in the Plant
“The work wear and protective clothing sector has outgrown traditional materials, and our Ultem fibre offers a significantly better option,” said Kim Choate, global product marketing manager, SABIC Innovative Plastics. “This flexible, soft and colourable fibre provides superior comfort and aesthetics, plus sustainable FR technology and the highest level of protection and durability for workers in safety-focused industries such as oil and gas and chemicals. “We foresee many other uses for this versatile fibre, which
has already broken new ground in composite aerospace boards for aviation interiors, filtration media and other demanding applications.” “Following a rigorous development process, we launched
a completely new flame-retardant material by using Ultem fibre,” said Takanobu Matsumoto, general manager, Japan Wool Textile. “Particularly in the areas of improved comfort and colourability, our new work wear products will provide major benefits for customers and address unmet market needs. This SABIC Innovative Plastics technology has also helped us to establish an overseas market for our work wear.”
Shirts, trousers, jackets Japan Wool Textile currently offers shirts, trousers, jackets and coveralls in an Ultem fibre-rich blend, as well as yarn and woven fabrics (Fig. 1). Ultem fibre’s novel combination of properties fills a longstanding need in the high-end work wear marketplace. Traditional work wear, particularly clothes made from meta- aramids, are stiff and uncomfortable. They also are difficult to dye, thus limiting the ability to produce custom-coloured items that support a company’s brand. In contrast, Ultem fibre is soft and flexible for improved
wearability, and can be dyed in many different colours using existing infrastructure, helping to drive down system costs. It resists degradation from UV light, making the material a potential candidate for outdoor wear. The fibre is inherently and permanently flame retardant.
It utilises proprietary technology that avoids the addition of environmentally hazardous halogens and cannot wash out of the garment, as many FR agents in low-end fabrics can. This material offers excellent heat resistance meeting the European Union (EU) EN 531/ISO 11612 and US National
Fire and Protection Association (NFPA) 2112 standards, and provides low smoke and toxicity performance.
High-performance thread In the Netherlands, Amann Group has launched a new high- performance sewing thread called Xtreme-Tech. It is based on Dyneema, the ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre from DSM. The new thread has already won an innovation award at
the annual Techtextil technical textiles fair in Frankfurt. The development of Xtreme-Tech was prompted by
initial demand from Amann’s aerospace customer AmSafe, which is now employing it to develop super strong cargo restraint systems for freighter aircrafts. In such an application Dyneema fibre can provide sewing thread with the highest tensile strength and the most durable seams – traditionally a potential weak spot in such products. Special twisting, coating and colouring techniques were
developed by Amann to come up with Xtreme-Tech, which retains its ultimate strength while being easy to both process and to be dyed. As one of the biggest global sewing thread producers
in the world, Amann has also signed a strategic trademark agreement with DSM Dyneema for the global marketing and sale of Xtreme-Tech and other new products the two companies aim to jointly develop. “Building on this success, we aim to further work together
with DSM Dyneema to bring such sustainable and innovative products to the market,” said Robin Hefter, Amann regional sales manager “The AmSafe development is likely to be only the first of many applications for this new product and marks just the start of what we believe we can achieve together.” Protective clothing is believed to be one such application. For its part, Lac-Mac offers a range of liquid splash
protective clothing incorporating GORE chemical splash fabric. Available in jackets, overalls and coveralls, these specialty garments are well suited to low vapour pressure liquid challenges such as: acids and bases; aqueous solutions; polymers; select organic solvents; and heat-transfer fluids. They are also durable, reusable, light-weight and breathable, providing what the company describes as superior protection and unrivalled comfort to the user. Certified to the NFPA 1992 standard on liquid splash-
Reinforced stress points L
ancs Industries has been manufacturing a full range of protective clothing since 1974. This,
says the company, means that it understands both functional needs and worker comfort issues, and disposal concerns associated with anti-contamination clothing.
All of its clothing items with zipped or
Velcro closures are designed with overflaps to protect from inadvertent opening. Key stress points are reinforced to prevent tearing and rip out. Generous sizing ensures ease of
38
www.engineerlive.com
movement. Lancs only uses materials that are fire retardant and the company provides disposable or certified incineratable materials when specified.
For example, its wet suit includes heat sealed seams to ensure strength and water tight integrity. It also has elastic at the neck, wrists and ankles, plus a zipper or Velcro front closure. As well as coming in six different sizes, it has two colour options and four material thickness choices.
The company’s deluxe one-piece suit
includes a dosimeter pocket on the left breast, airline entry sleeve at the hip, an exhaust vent at the calf, and a box-stitched reinforced crotch. Optional features available upon request are attached hoods, attached booties, additional exhaust vents and overflaps for vents. At the other end of the scale, Lancs’ 136 low top rubber bootie is made of 100 per cent natural latex rubber, has an economical flat seamless construction, is highly stretchable for easy donning and includes a non-skid sole surface. ■
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50