FR additives with expanded performance for E&E market

FRX Innovations has introduced a new product line which extends the performance range of the company’s Nofia® copolymer flame retardants for the consumer electronics and appliance industry. Nofia CO6010-EX is the first in a new line of advanced copolymeric flame retardants designed to expand the capabilities of the Nofia family and remove the need to dry the polymer before processing.  

Nofia CO6010-EX polyphosphonate fills a gap in the current portfolio by targeting a growing need for PC, PC/ABS, and PC/ASA in applications where neither brominated flame retardants or perfluoro butyl sulfonates can be used. In addition to no pre-drying of the polymer, this new range has much lower initial color. The exceptional heat distortion and physical properties of Nofia flame retardants have long been desirable in UL94 V0, or VTM-0 formulations, but now processing is simpler, impact resistance is improved, and the new material offers the ability to meet the bluer shades of white required for certain brands of electronic equipment and electrical appliances. Like other Nofia FRs, Nofia CO6010-EX provides improved resistance to chemical cleaners and permanence when compared to traditional, non-polymeric, phosphorous-based flame retardants.  

“Polycarbonate has been a polymer of high interest,” said Marc Lebel, CEO of FRX Innovations. “This is due to restrictions announced in Europe and the U.S. on the future use of brominated FRs in enclosures for TVs and monitors, and the high probability that those restrictions will soon be broadened to enclosures for most indoor electrical equipment.” 

 There have also been added concerns about per- and poly-fluorinated additives, so-called “Forever Chemicals.”  The commonly used flame retardant KPFBS is one such chemical, and already brand owners and OEMs are looking for alternatives, according to Lebel. He added that non-halogen composition is only part of the story. Polymeric additives such as Nofia are inherently safer than smaller molecules, and being polymeric is at the heart of why Nofia products offer such enhanced physical properties. 

FRX is developing other products based on similar technology to Nofia CO6010-EX. Beyond their use in polycarbonate and PC blends, future grades will offer enhanced properties for other polymers, such as polyesters, and the opportunity for inherently flame-retardant resins with low color transparency and achieving VTM-0 at 0.075mm.

FRX is in commercial production at its fully permitted facility in Antwerp, Belgium, where it currently supplies Nofia flame retardant products to a growing number of multinational OEMs around the world.