According to the company’s website news release on September 14, 2022, SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, launched today four new LNP™ ELCRES™ FST copolymer resins that comply with the European railway standard EN45545 R6-HL 2 for train seating. Designers can benefit from these new material solutions, which not only meet the new regulatory requirements but also provide expanded opportunities to create sleek seating designs. Compared to thermosets and aluminum, the new ELCRES resins offer lighter weight and efficient processing without requiring secondary operations. To achieve a seamless aesthetic look in an all-in-one seat unit or a design with a separate back shell without painting, SABIC offers precision color matching for its extrusion grade (LNP ELCRES FST2732E resin) and injection molding grade (LNP ELCRES FST2432 resin). For customers that require more-sustainable solutions, SABIC supplies bio-based version of each grade. These new materials, and several other new products, will be spotlighted at InnoTrans 2022 (Hall 5.1, Booth 332), September 20-23 in Berlin, Germany.
“Since the EN45545 standard came into effect, the rail industry has faced challenges in obtaining compliant thermoplastic materials – and SABIC has been proactive in providing solutions,” noted Brian Rice, Senior. Manager, Global Product Management, LNP/NORYL, Specialties, SABIC. “With the company's new LNP ELCRES FST products, SABIC not only met customers’ high expectations for compliance, performance, aesthetics and manufacturability, but SABIC also addressed their sustainability goals with bio-based versions. With multiple grades to choose from, manufacturers can once again leverage the advantages of thermoplastics in their seating applications.”
MEETING CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH STRINGENT EN 45545 STANDARD
LNP ELCRES FST copolymers address demands from customers like Monte Meão, a Portuguese rail seating provider, for high-performance thermoplastics that help address the stringent requirements of the harmonized European rail fire protection standard, EN45545.
Fernando Cerqueira, CEO of Monte Meão said, “SABIC needed an injection molding material that complies with the safety requirements set forth in the EN45545 standard for railway seating and offers long-term durability for SABIC customers. SABIC’s LNP ELCRES FST2432 copolymer provided a good combination of physical properties and a flexible processing window.”
BIO-BASED MATERIALS INCREASE SUSTAINABILITY
SABIC’s bio-based versions of both the extrusion and injection molding grades were developed to expand the sustainability benefits of the LNP ELCRES FST materials beyond paint elimination and weight reduction. LNP ELCRES FST2732EB (extrusion) and LNP ELCRES FST2432B (injection molding) products incorporate 55 percent renewable feedstocks from crude tall oil and other waste products. Both are potential drop-in solutions that deliver the same high performance and regulatory compliance as the fossil-based grades. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent analysis showed these bio-based products reduced carbon emissions by 33 percent vs. their fossil-based counterparts.
CUSTOM COLOR AND CHEMICAL RESISTANCE ENHANCE AESTHETICS
The new LNP ELCRES FST copolymers offer molded-in color options from a broad palette, including custom colors, to help enable OEMs and railway operators to brand their seats as part of the interior Molded-in color eliminates the need for secondary painting, thereby reducing cost and CO2 footprint. To maintain the attractive appearance of rail seating over its lifetime, the SABIC materials provide excellent chemical resistance that simplifies graffiti removal, and a good balance of stiffness and impact resistance to improve durability and extend useful life. Also, the increased stiffness of the LNP ELCRES FST grades compared to standard PC allows the same part to be manufactured using less material, for potential cost savings.
“The company’s new LNP ELCRES FST copolymers are the result of a major technological breakthrough that helps ensure compliance with stringent fire protection requirements of the European railway standard,” commented Luc Govaerts, Director, Formulation & Application, Specialties, SABIC. “By bringing together a proprietary copolymer material and an enhanced additive package, the company’s team delivered the outstanding flame-smoke-toxicity performance that customers are seeking. SABIC took this major development effort one step further by formulating drop-in, bio-based versions of both grades to offer the industry new options for increasing the sustainability of rail seating.”
NEW COPOLYMERS TO BE FEATURED AT INNOTRANS
SABIC’s Specialties business will feature the new LNP ELCRES FST materials at the company’s exhibit at InnoTrans 2022. Parts to be displayed will include the back of an R6 train seat (injection molded) and a portion of an R6 seat (extruded and thermoformed). The Specialties business will share the booth with SABIC’s Functional Forms business.
At the show, the company will also be featuring a new pellet-fed additive manufacturing (PFAM) grade that is well-suited for rail seating and other large parts.
