Flame retardancy of polymers

Fire Retardants in Plastics 2013 will take place June 13-14, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Denver in Denver, Colorado, United States.

Initially built on the considerable success of AMI’s Fire Resistance event in Europe, the Fire Retardants in Plastics conference is now being held for the third time in America and is now well established in its own right. It has rapidly become an essential meeting place for the industry, attracting an international audience made up of leading players from throughout the supply chain.
This year’s program features industry experts covering the latest legislative issues, additive technologies, flame retardant compound formulations and applications. Dedicated sessions will address key topics such as market trends, additives for engineering plastics, the way ahead for halogenated products, minerals for flame retardant formulations, developments in  polyurethanes, and ongoing regulatory issues. In response to audience requests, this year’s program also boasts an expanded session on flame retardant technologies for polyolefins.
In addition to these high-level presentations, the conference will also provide the ideal networking forum to share ideas and discuss new solutions for flame retardant plastics that meet and exceed the performance, environmental and health requirements of the future.

Program: pdf format
For further information on this conference please contact Kelly Cressman, Conference Coordinator, kc@amiplastics-na.com Tel: +1 610 478 0800, Fax: +1 610 478 0900.

source: http://www.amiplastics-na.com/

Filed under: Flame Retardant, News | Comments Off on Trends and technical developments in the international flame retardant industry, 13-14 June 2013

Amid concerns over the potential health effects of existing flame retardants for home furniture, fabrics and other material, scientists are reporting development of an ”exceptionally” effective new retardant that appears safer and more environmentally friendly. Their report on the coating which is suitable for the polyurethane foam in couches and bedding that causes many fire deaths appears in ACS Macro Letters.

Jaime Grunlan and colleagues explain that upholstery furniture and mattresses are the items that ignite in about 17,000 fires each year, causing more than 870 deaths, thousands of injuries and millions of dollars in property loss. Since the polyurethane foam in these items is highly flammable, consumer protection agencies have issued stringent safety standards to reduce flammability. But health and environmental concerns exist over some of the traditional flame retardants that manufacturers add to meet those standards. Grunlan’s team thus set out to develop safer, more environmentally benign flame retardants.

They describe successful development and laboratory testing of a new flame retardant coating for polyurethane foam. The ‘nanocoating’ is so thin that 1000 layers of it would fit across the width of a human hair and it is made with a relatively benign polymer that creates a ‘gas blanket’, preventing oxygen from fuelling a fire. It is the first flame retardant that both reduces the heat released from fire and prevents the foam from dripping and spreading flames to the rest of the room or house. “The heat-release reductions are significant and likely would slow fire growth in real-world fire scenarios, giving people more time to escape or to put out the foam, thus preventing flashover events,” the report says. Source: www.safetysolutions.net.au

Filed under: Flame Retardant, News | Comments Off on Safer flame retardant developed with dual effects