Plastic giant SABIC has unveiled a groundbreaking carbon fiber-reinforced, flame-retardant (FR) compound called LNP THERMOCOMP AM DC0041XA51.
While the name doesn’t exactly slip off the tongue, rest assured, it is set to find fans in the rail industry due to its high strength and fire safety rating. Read on to know more!
Fire Safe Plastic
This innovative compound, compliant with E.U. and U.S. rail fire safety standards, has the potential to revolutionize the rail industry by transitioning from traditional thermoset-based part production to on-demand 3D printing, ultimately reducing system costs.
The compound was showcased at InnoTrans 2022 in Berlin, where a large front-hatch part printed by CAF, a leading supplier of transit solutions, demonstrated its ability to produce large replacement parts quickly, minimizing lead times and inventory. This breakthrough material is ideal for CAF and the entire transportation industry, as it meets stringent international safety requirements while addressing sustainability trends.
Pellets
SABIC’s LNP THERMOCOMP AM DC0041XA51 compound is suitable for printing large or medium-sized rail components using pellet-fed additive manufacturing (PFAM). The compound is one of the first PFAM-capable materials to comply with the harmonized European EN45545 standard (R1 Hazard Level 3) and the U.S. NFPA-130 standard for interior and exterior parts.
Potential applications include exterior parts like bumpers and interior components such as side panels, partition walls, ducts, and seating backs and shells.
According to the company, SABIC’s compound surpasses competitive materials by providing expanded design flexibility, facilitating recycling, and offering a non-halogenated FR solution. The collaboration with CAF highlights the benefits of adopting pellet-based AM and using this innovative material in the rail manufacturing industry.
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