Halogen-free polyamides for household appliances.(Office, retail and home)

BASF AG, Germany, has added two halogen-free polyamide 66 (PA66) to its Ultramid range. Designed for domestic plastic components, both grades--A3X4G7 and A3UG5--comply with the high fire-protection requirements of the revised IEC60335-1 Standard for household appliances, which has been introduced under the directions of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

A3X4G7 contains 35% glass fibres, though it is lighter in weight than comparable commercial grades containing halogen and reinforced with 25% glass fibres, the company says. A3UG5 contains 25% glass fibres and a light-coloured flame retardant that has been developed so that even components dyed in light colours can be manufactured. Moreover, this reinforced resin is even lighter in weight than the A3X4G7 variant, due to the use of a special additive.

Both composites have good mechanical properties, particularly toughness, making them particularly attractive for snap-on elements and thin walls often found in electric switches. They also have benefits in terms of disposal and recycling.

BASF's Marketing Director of polyamides for electrical and electronic applications, Dr Ralf Neuhaus, says "Customers can save themselves the trouble of dismantling old appliances to recover plastics containing bromine flame retardants, a step that would be required under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) of the European Community."

The changes made to the IEC 60335 standard relate, among other things, to household appliances that operate without supervision and through which high currents flow (more than 0.2 A). These include switches and connectors in washing machines and dishwashers, refrigerators and ovens, as well as electric motors in central vacuum systems and exhaust hoods.

Plastics used in these applications have to pass the stricter glow-wire ignition test at 750[degrees]C (1382[degrees]F), either on test specimens or on the finished part. Up to now, any flame that appeared during the glow-wire ignition test had to go out within the testing and observation time of 1 min. However, the standard has been revised along stricter guidelines, and no ignition is permitted at all.

For further information, contact: Dr Sabine Philipp, BASF AG, D-67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany; tel: +49-621-6043-348; fax: +49-621-6020-129; E-mail: sabine.philipp@basf-ag.de; or: ultraplaste.infopoint@basf.com; Internet: www.basf.de/ultramid