Heat-resistant/Flame-resistant Grade” Product Added to “FOAM ACE” Lineup of Chemically Cross-linked Polyethylene Foam
- Ideal heat-insulating material for refrigerant pipes and equipment offers both heat and flame resistance -

August 31, 2017

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. has developed a new foam material that offers both heat and flame resistance, as the newest addition to the “FOAM ACE” lineup of products. It is especially suited for heat insulation applications that require both heat and flame resistance, such as refrigerant pipes and equipment.

Background

“FOAM ACE,” developed by Furukawa Electric, was the first chemically cross-linked polyethylene foam in the world. Since it was released in 1966, it has been used for over 50 years in a wide range of fields including heat-insulating material, cushioning, and floater. Furukawa Electric has since continued to develop products with added functionality, based on requests from customers.

In the air conditioner coolant piping field, flame resistance standards have been added to existing heat resistance requirements in Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism public architecture/construction standards, in order to prevent fire from spreading when brazing or if a device malfunctions during construction. In addition to calls to improve flame resistance in order to further improve safety in this field, demand for both heat and flame resistance has been increasing in recent years along with increasing functionality in the home electronics field.

Content

Furukawa Electric has successfully developed a new “Heat-resistant/Flame-resistant Grade” product in the “FOAM ACE” series. The new product offers heat resistance up to 120°C and UL94 HF-1 standard flame resistance, and will be available for purchase in September of this year. This new product offers the same insulation and heat resistance performance, as well as “Heat-resistant/Flame-resistant Grade” performance at a reasonable cost thanks to its unique flame-resistant formula.

Furukawa Electric will continue to propose functional products for use in a range of applications, as the leading manufacturer of chemically cross-linked polyethylene foam products.

Product Features and Data Specifications

• Heat-resistant temperature: 120°C
(internal testing based on JIS A 9511)
• Flame resistance performance: UL94 HF-1 standard
(internal testing based on horizontal combustion testing of foam material)

Example Uses

• Home electronics and A/C internal pipe components
• OA device and IoT device components
• Vehicle components

About Furukawa Electric Group

Furukawa Electric (TSE; 5801, ISIN; JP3827200001) Group started business in 1884, when its copper-smelting facility and wire manufacturing factory was established. Since then Furukawa Electric has become pioneers in the latest technologies by addressing diverse technological issues. Furukawa Electric has released products in a number of areas, including telecommunications, electronics, automobiles, and construction, with the three types of materials it works with at their core, namely, optics, plastics, and metals. Many of these products have attained the top global market share, and all of its products have contributed to society in numerous business areas. Furukawa Electric reported consolidated revenues of JPY 843.3 billion (approximately USD 7.8B) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.