At Wire 2018 in Dusseldorf, Teknor Apex Company will feature Halguard® low smoke halogen-free flame-retardant (LS HFFR) compounds that enable compliance with newly implemented fire-safety requirements in Europe while also meeting standards adhered to in North America and other regions.
North American fire safety standards for cables are significantly different than those used in Europe and many other regions of the world.
These Halguard compounds enable manufacturers to meet the growing demand for “global” products that can achieve compliance with fire codes in multiple jurisdictions.
Helping to drive this demand is the European Union’s new Construction Products Regulation (CPR), which went into effect last year and affects products for permanent installation in a building structure, such as data cables, fire alarm cables, and building wire.
While PVC continues to be the preferred solution for many wire and cable applications, Teknor Apex developed Halguard technology for customers that sell to jurisdictions or applications where halogen-free compounds are the required alternative.
“Halguard compounds overcome the limitations of other LS HFFR compounds, by being generally more flexible for an equivalent level of flame retardance and easier to extrude,” says David Braun, wire and cable industry manager.
“At the same time they meet stringent flame retardance and low-smoke requirements and provide optimum mechanical performance.”
Some examples of LS HFFR applications where compliance with fire safety standards from multiple jurisdictions provides a competitive advantage are fiber optic and copper data center cables, armored building wire for commercial structures, telecom infrastructure cables for cellular network towers and computer data cabling.
“Teknor Apex understands CPR classifications and has supported customers in their programs for achieving CPR compliance,” says Braun.
“Among Halguard compounds now available are products suitable for supporting Euroclass B2ca and below while also being able to pass UL 1666 Riser flame test.”
