Fire safety is an essential concern in all E & E applications. Halogen-free flame retardant (HFFR) materials play a key role in providing that safety. At the same time, manufacturers today are seeking to reduce the overall CO2 footprint of their products, amongst others by incorporating recycled materials into their designs. To meet both these demands, Domo Chemicals recently launched a new range of Technyl 4Earth sustainable HFFR polyamides, which offer both enhanced sustainability and fire retardant properties.
According to Domo, the new range was developed to accelerate the use of renewable engineering plastics as well as to increase the range of applications in different sectors, including E&E.
The new resins are derived from a patented recycling process developed by Domo that converts post-industrial sources of technical fabric scraps into prime quality polyamide.
Currently, the range consists of PA66, based on recycled airbag scraps, and PA6, consisting of recycling of film and yarn scraps. Both grades deliver levels of mechanical performance comparable to traditional PA6 and PA66. And while to date only post-industrial waste has been used, Domo’s ambition is to move to the next step in the circularity cycle, to post-consumer waste recycling. The company’s goal is to double its offering by 2030, while also decreasing the overall product footprint by 20% over this period.
Moreover, Domo said it is putting its longstanding experience in HFFR technology to use in the development of new compounds based on recycled polyamides. A pioneer in flame retardant technology, Domo’s Technyl Star s 60g1 v30 has been on the market since 2002; its Technyl One j 60x1 v30 since 2012. The company started combining recycled PA materials with HFFR technology back in 2018 in the form of a sustainable PA66, and added a PA6 solution to the portfolio in 2020. It achieved UL yellow card certification for its recycled HFFR material in 2022.
And, while it is commonly assumed that recycled means making compromises, the new Technyl 4Earth HFFR polyamides with 50% recycled content put these concerns to rest, providing the same level of mechanical performance as virgin material. No difference in electrical performance is seen, either: the dielectric strength of the recycled PA66 with 50% recycled content is equivalent to that of virgin polyamide.
The next challenge will be to add lighter shades to the sustainable HFFR line-up to meet the colour requirements of customers for E&E products.
A light grey - RAL 9001 -, the main colour for electronic applications is already available as is the even lighter shade of RAL 9003.
Domo is working on a PA6 recycled HFFR offering with 25% glass filling in a light colour RAL 7016.