Flame-retardant material in TV housings, computer frames, electrical appliances, switches, lampcovers and glazing can help to prevent fires, keep them from spreading and stop flash-over, thus saving lives.
Every day about 45 people all over Europe die as a result of fires, and most of those fires occur in residential buildings.
(source: World Fire Statistics No. 28 by the Genoveva Association, October 2012)
Even pure polycarbonate as such is more flame-retardant than many other polymers. In many applications, the PC parts are self-extinguishing when the flame is removed!
With FR grades, one can achieve even better flame-retardancy.
With the addition of further flame retardants, excellent FR requirements can be fulfilled even in thin wall applications. Based on more than 25 years experience with FR materials, Covestro creates new, improved flame-retardant products which combine good flame retardancy with other useful properties as for example good chemical resistance, hydrolysis stability, flowability etc.
Our products fulfill the requirements of new applications (e.g. ultrathin laptop cases, portable devices) and support the trend toward improved material efficiency and parts with thinner walls while retaining the same property profile.
Further advantages of such thin wall applications include material savings, CO2 reduction during production and energy savings during processing and transport.
The majority of our products complies with the strict regulations of many eco labels. We are constantly working to further improve the ecological impact of our products.