process feature | Sheet developments
New Lexan sheet products from Sabic have been engineered to help customers comply with rail industry standards
tional APET, while still retaining clarity and gloss. This results in lower electricity and overhead costs per finished unit. Overall, Octal says that its product can cuts costs by
up to 24% compared with conventional PET sheeting, through factors such as higher flow (resulting in 3-8% more material reaching inside corners of mould profiles) and high intrinsic viscosity (meaning less scrap and skeletal waste). “DPET’s physical properties translate into competi-
tive advantages for the thermoformer and the merchan- diser,” said William Barenberg Jr, Octal’s COO.
Flying high Kydex has launched what it claims is the aviation industry’s first fully-compliant coloured translucent thermoplastic sheet. “We understand the challenges designers face in
industries like aviation, particularly that design-forward products must also meet industry compliance,” said Ronn Cort, president of Kydex. “We are excited about the possibilities that coloured translucent sheet brings to the industry.” Kydex FST CTL is the first coloured translucent thermoplastic sheet to meet the compliance mandates of the aviation industry. The line was also specifically formulated to meet all Boeing and Airbus toxicity requirements for aircraft interior components. The translucents are durable, cleanable and formulated to hold the ‘as new’ look through many flights. Dividers that once blocked light can now refract and
reflect it, says Kydex, while passengers can enjoy privacy without feeling walled in or isolated. LED lighting can be used to its maximum advantage to create varying moods for different segments of the flight, from boarding to meal service to sleep time. And the airline brand becomes a living experience of light, motion and emotion, from exhilarating to comforting. Kydex FST CTL is available in eight colours including
20 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | December 2012/January 2013
Aurora Borealis (green), Velocity (red), Rainbow (purple), and Turbulent (grey). The new material was showcased at the recent
Aircraft Interiors Show in the US. At the same event, Sabic Innovative Plastics introduced a new grade of its Lexan polycarbonate sheet for aircraft window shades. Lexan XHR 5000 (extremely low heat release) is designed for multi-layer window shade systems that require advanced flame-smoke-toxicity (FST) properties and opacity. “Lexan XHR sheet can help our aerospace customers
solve their most pressing FST, design and performance needs,” said Jack Govers, general manager of speciality film & sheet at Sabic. Supplied as a white-pigmented cap layer over a black base, the sheet is engineered as a lightweight, robust substrate to be laminated with decorative films then thermoformed.
Staying on track At the same time, FST is important to industries such as rail. For this, Sabic has added two new sheet products. Lexan H6500 sheet is a new PC/ABS sheet grade
that complies with the upcoming CEN/TS 45545 harmonised standard, while Lexan H6200 sheet complies with Germany’s DIN norm. Both have been engineered to help rail customers meet the demand for enhanced sustainability and advanced thermoplastic technologies with non-chlorin- ated and non-brominated flame retardance that enhance the design and development of rail interior applications. “To comply with the emerging fire safety norm, rail
customers faced the real prospect of replacing non-compliant thermoplastics with traditional metal and lower-performing thermosets,” said Govers. “That meant sacrificing the benefits of thermoplastics, such as design freedom, light weight and lower system costs.
www.filmandsheet.com
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