MOST INNOVATIVE POLYMER MATERIALS FOR YOUR PRODUCTS
 

ABOUT


Artigiano & Co aims to be a leading company in the research and manufacturing of innovative polymeric materials, Flame Retardant compounds and masterbatches. Our highly experienced R&D and manufacturing team balances the material flame retardant & mechanical properties, and matches the regulatory requirements for various applications and markets.
We all know that many plastics are flammable, therefore we have to take some measures for increasing their fire safety.
Various types of flame retardants provide compatible protection for buildings, E&E equipment, and for polymeric materials that are used in airplanes, buses, trains and ships.
Flame retardant products are either organic and inorganic chemicals based on halogen, phosphorous, nitrogen and mineral hydrates, that are added to plastic materials for reducing the risk of fire.

BASE MATERIALS


AT ARTIGIANO & CO THE H IGHE ST STANDARDS
ARE MATCHE D AT EACH STAGE WITH G LOBAL
REQUIREMENT, SPECIAL CARE IS TAKEN TO:
• Match the standard with international requirement.
• Make the dispersion perfectly suitable to the end use.
• Maintain batch to batch consistency and quality.
• Prompt service to customers for matching.

As polymers consist of long chain hydrocarbons, unmodified, most thermoplastic materials are flammable and will burn readily given sufficient heat energy. Fires from plastics can be devastating.
Flame retardant additives can be added to a polymer to improve its fire resistance properties by increasing the materials ignition temperature, reducing flame propagation speeds and reducing smoke emissions. Flame retardant materials are obligatory in a vast range of applications, from building and construction products, household and electrical appliances, automotive and aeronautical components, cabling materials and furnishings.

Mineral Reinforcement/Fillers


improve stiffness,
surface hardness, cost reduction


UV Stabilizers


interfere with light-induced
degradation, weathering


Coupling Agents


impart compatibility between
polymer & additives


Impact Modifiers


enhance toughness of material
to impact



Dyes and Pigments


color & appearance


Blowing Agents


production of foams,
vvweight reduction


Antistats/Conductives


prevent electrostatic discharge,
improve conductivity


Optical Brighteners


enhance appearance,
off-set yellow color



Antioxidants & stabilizers


delay/prevent oxidation during
processing / application


Lubricants


improvement in processing,
release properties


Antimicrobials


prevent microbiological attack
and property degradation


Flame Retardants


prevent ignition & flame spread,
prolong escape time






FLAME RETARDANT SELECTION CRITERIA:
SOME CONSIDERATIONS


Efficiency/Cost

Ease of Compounding

Adequate Thermal Stability

Corrosivity Issues

Physical Properties

Appearance

Compatibility (Migration?)

Environment/Toxicity

UV Stability/Weathering

Electrical Properties

Combustion Products
(corrosives, toxics, smoke)




CONCERNS ABOUT FLAME RETARDANTS

Findings of cer tain brominated flame
retardants in the environment, biota, humans

Compasome concern about certain phosphate
esters in indoor airtibility (Migration?)

Source of endocrine disruption

FR Persistence, Bioaccumulation, Toxicity (PBT)

Risk assessments, scientific s tudies
for materials of concern






CONCLUSION:


• Plastics are widely used in our society. The global consumption of plastic materials is increasing. New materials and applications are being developed.
• It is necessary to add FRs to some plastics (dependent on application).
• Flame retardant consumption is growing globally due to increased standard of living and fire safety requirements.
• There is a trend towards more environmentally compatible FRs, driven by NGOs, OEMs and legislation like RoHS, REACH, & some U.S. state legislation.
• FR additives are beneficial to prevent ignition, flame spread & prolong
escape time.












SOPHISTICATED MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT


Imbibing technical innovations and using the most sophisticated R&D machinery & equipment’s, Artigiano & Co provides and
continuously develop value added quality products to meet the ever changing needs of our clients & their customers

  • Filter Index Tester (Labtech)
  • Twin Screw Extruder (Lab Model)
  • Tape Plant (Lab Model)
  • DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry)
  • STA/TGA (Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer)
  • FTIR (Fourier Transformed Infra Red Spectroscopy)
  • Fibre Spinning and Drawing (Lab Model)
  • Viscometer for IV testing

  • Flammability Rating Tester & Limiting Oxygen Index Tester
  • Spectrophotometer for Colour matching
  • Moisture Analyser
  • Lab Model Blown Film Extruder
  • Injection Molding machine
  • Two Roll Mill for colour matching & product development
  • UTM for Tensile Strength & Flexural Modulus
  • Heat Deflection Tester (HDT)

  • Izod Impact Tester
  • Humidity Chamber
  • Static Charge Meters
  • Melt Flow Index Tester
  • Density
  • Carbon/Filler Content Tester
  • Optical Density Meter

PRODUCTS

MASTERBATCHES:

Additive Masterbatches
flame retardant, antimicrobial,
anti-aging, ani-fungal, UV Stabilizers,
Slip & Antiblock, Polymer Processing Aids,
Optical Brightner, Nucleating and Clarifying Agents, etc

Special Effect Masterbatches
Pearl, Metallic, Glitter, Fluorescent, Glow in Dark

White Masterbatches

Colour Masterbatches

Special Effect Masterbatches
Pearl, Metallic, Glitter, Fluorescent, Glow in Dark

Black Masterbatches

PROPERTIES

  • Excellent performance in established FR tests including UL 94, and comparative tracking index (CTI)
  • Low generation of toxic gases and black smoke during combustion
  • Effective flame retardants in a variety of polymer systems
  • Low effect on physical and mechanical properties
  • Good thermal stability and low volatility
  • Excellent hydrolytic stability for improved performance under high humidity conditions
  • Improves flow characteristics with suitable lubricants
  • Reduced plate out/deposit formation during extrusion and injection moulding processes
  • Halogen-free, compliant with RoHS and WEEE

MARKET / END PRODUCTS & APPLICATIONS

Transportation and automotive:

Major application areas of flame retardants in transport vehicles are polymers for electrical or structural parts, cables, carpets, decorative and upholstery textiles, and polymer foams for insulation and upholstery.
Typical dosages of flame retardants in polymers are in the range of 5% to 80%. Consequently, the flame retardant price has a significant impact on the cost of a flame-retarded polymer. There is no “one size fits all” flame retardant, because polymers and textiles have various requirements on their additives: temperature stability, being solid or liquid, viscosity, electrical properties, polarity, and miscibility are only a few properties which need to be matched between a suitable flame retardant and the polymer and its production process.
Intumescent flame retardants are an example of a typical mechanism of halogen-free flame retardants. The combustible material is separated from the fire or heat source by an insulating foam forming at the surface. Intumescent flame retardant systems can be applied to decrease flammability of thermoplastic polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, polyester- and epoxy resins.

Electric & Electronics:

Electronic enclosures are a market segment which includes primarily the enclosures of consumer and information technology equipment such as televisions, desktop or notebook computers, monitors, printers, copiers, household appliances, etc. These housings are made of different types of polymer resins. Common polymer resins are high impact polystyrene (HIPS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymers (ABS), poly-carbonate / ABS blends (PC/ABS), polyphenylene ether /HIPS blends (PPE/HIPS) and polycarbonate (PC).
International standards provide that the plastic materials used for these housings usually should meet high fire safety standards such as UL 94 V or similar flame retardant specification. In general, it is not possible to meet these requirements with the pure polymer resins. Therefore, flame retardants are added to the polymer compound. Halogen free phosphates based flame retardants are of growing importance in this electronic enclosures segment, because the electronics industry tends to move to more sustainable flame retardants.

Wire & Cable:

In the last thirty years the usage of so called HFFR compounds in Wire & Cable applications have been driven by several major incidents, in which mostly the smoke density and the smoke toxicity in case of a fire in a highly populated area has caused numerous casualties. In addition, the awareness of the impact of flame retardant polymers on our environment, especially in case of “end-of-life” scenarios has become an additional aspect of the design of flame retardant cables. Nowadays the conformity of cables and wires with WEEE10 and RoHS11 is a further requirement for flame retardant cable compounds.
Essential for all cables applied in buildings and public spaces is their resistance to flame propagation, as this is the most important hazard originating from cables. Different standards and test regimes exist worldwide, but all of these tests have burning length and heat release criteria included.

Building and Construction:

Plastic materials have enjoyed growing use in B&C over the last decades due to their enhanced durability and easy maintenance (corrosion resistance, cleaning and repair) compared to other materials such as wood or metals. More recently, reinforced plastics (composites) have developed and continued to displace traditional building materials in a growing number of areas. Glass (or carbon) filled thermosets offer high strength properties and excellent durability, and are increasingly used to produce light-weight load-bearing structures such as bridges/walkways or even balconies.
Thermoplastic based Wood Plastic Composites also represent a recent class of materials that are increasingly used in B&C, allowing the combination of aesthetic properties of wood with the physical performance of plastics, while being largely based on recycled materials, thus meeting customer’s needs for products with a reduced environmental footprint.

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CONTACT

ul. Łódzka 123b,

87-100 Toruń

+39 340 989 6339

contact@artigiano-and-co.com