Peter Kornas considers that fire safety requirements will continue to tighten in some sectors, with at the same time increasing demands on smoke toxicity. Standards such as EN45545-2 (railways), CPR EN13-501 (building) or IMO FTP Code 2010 (shipping) already require very high levels of fire resistance, which can be achieved by PIN (zero halogen) flame retardant systems. More demanding requirements are liable to also come into place on toxicity, such as calculation of survival impact in a given space for railways, or smoke toxicity specifications for construction products. Also, infusion (closed mould) processes will develop to avoid emissions in production workplaces. An important challenge for PIN FR systems is water resistance and related issues with weathering and durability of polymer surface characteristics. Combinations of novel coated PIN FRs and innovative polymer – FR – additive systems can be developed to address these challenges, whilst making fire protection more stable, lighter and safer.
The BÜFA Group was established in Germany in 1883 and today operates in chemicals, composites and cleaning products. The company is committed to innovation, environmental chemistry and targeted products for demanding industries and specific applications. BÜFA Composite Systems supplies in-house developed FR solutions, especially to the automotive, rail, commercial vehicle, energy and construction sectors, with a main focus on non-halogen systems. https://www.buefa.de/en/composites/