New Fireguard Plenum Compounds Eliminate Lead Stabilizers with No Compromise in Thermal Stability

Home > Vinyl > What's New > What's New

PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, U.S.A., October 5, 2000: Seven no-lead additions to the Fireguard [Registered Trade Mark] line of low-smoke, low-flame plenum compounds process at the same high extrusion rates as established Fireguard products and exhibit similarly excellent electrical and fire-performance properties, it was announced today by Teknor Apex. The company introduced the new series, designated Fireguard 910 NL series, at Wire and Cable Focus 2000 in September.

Wire and cable manufacturers around the world use compounds containing lead-based heat stabilizers for PVC insulation and jacketing because these additives outperform many other conventional ones in preventing the polymer degradation that can occur in high-speed processing or subsequent heat aging. In response to recent regulations mandating extremely low levels of lead extractibles, however, such companies increasingly require PVC compounds with alternative heat-stabilizer formulations.

"Our new Fireguard compounds provide a no-lead alternative without the conventional sacrifice in stabilizing efficiency," said Donald G. Ouellette, Wire and Cable Industry Manager for Teknor Apex. "At the same time, these products provide the same low-smoke/low-flame performance that has caused established Fireguard products to be so widely specified by manufacturers of plenum cable."

Noting that lead stabilizers typically are significantly less costly than the most efficient conventional non-lead additives, Ouellette said the new non-lead compounds from Teknor Apex are priced only slightly higher than other Fireguard products.

Formulated for insulation and jacketing in all types of plenum cable applications requiring low smoke and low flame propagation, Fireguard products exceed all applicable test performance specified in UL Subjects 13, 1424, and 444. Teknor Apex recommends these products for control cable, communications cable, data cable, fiber optics, and fire and alarm systems. Standard Fireguard formulations have been extruded successfully for insulation as thin as 6 mils at rates as high as 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) per minute.