plenum formulations go antimony-free

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PLENUM FORMULATIONS GO ANTIMONY-FREE CASE STUDY: GEON PLENSTAR VINYL WIRE & CABLE

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Page 1: PLENUM FORMULATIONS GO ANTIMONY-FREE

PLENUM FORMULATIONS GO ANTIMONY-FREE

CASE STUDY: GEON™ PLENSTAR™ VINYL

WIRE & CABLE

Page 2: PLENUM FORMULATIONS GO ANTIMONY-FREE

NEW PVC PLENUM FORMULATIONS LET TELECOM CABLE MANUFACTURERS MEET UL FLAME RESISTANCE REQUIREMENTS WITH AN ANTIMONY-FREE SOLUTION.

Need help with material selection or manufacturing support? We’re here to help. 1.866.POLYONE (1.866.765.9663) or polyone.com.

© 2019, All Rights Reserved PolyOne Corporation, 33587 Walker Road, Avon Lake, Ohio USA 44012

THE CHALLENGE

The metallic element antimony is a highly

effective flame retardant in many polymers

such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Over the past

40 years, antimony has been included in PVC

plenum formulations to help suppress flame

propagation and to meet UL 910 and NFPA

262 requirements.

Antimony is commonly used in wire and cable

applications because it is considered the most

effective flame retardant additive available,

and has synergy with other components that

are used in these formulations. However,

antimony is listed on California’s Proposition

65 list of chemicals published and updated

annually, which may subject OEMs to certain

requirements under the Proposition 65

legislation.

PolyOne was tasked by several telecom cable

manufacturers to develop a PVC formulation

that meets the following Critical to Quality

(CTQ) outputs:

• No antimony in the formulation

• Passes UL 444 and UL910 requirements for

category communication cables

• Processes at adequate line speed

• Meets or exceeds all current performance

requirements of customers for current

plenum grades

THE SOLUTION

PolyOne created a solution that would provide

excellent flame resistance and low smoke

generation while reducing the amount of

heavy metals in today’s plenum formulations.

This resulted in the development of Plenstar™

WJJP622, a PVC plenum formulation without

antimony for use as a jacketing material in

category communication cables. This newly

developed material is suitable for shielded and

unshielded designs over 4 FEP twisted pairs.

THE IMPACT

With excellent flame- and smoke-resistant

characteristics, Plenstar WJJP622 flame

retardant material enables manufacturers to

pass UL910 flame and smoke specifications

with an antimony-free solution. In addition,

the formulations allow them to keep up with

a growing demand for plenum products, and

the desire to proactively move toward more

sustainable material designs as highlighted

in Proposition 65, that meet or exceed all

cable requirements specified in UL 444 for

category cables.

WJJP622 grade adds another exceptional PVC

plenum option to the existing Plenstar lineup

for jacketing applications in CAT 3, 5e, 6 and

6a cables.

Using Plenstar material:• Significantly reduced amount of

heavy metals• Decoupled pricing from heavy

metals market• Allowed Proposition 65 compliance while

meeting performance requirements