plenum formulations go antimony-free
TRANSCRIPT
PLENUM FORMULATIONS GO ANTIMONY-FREE
CASE STUDY: GEON™ PLENSTAR™ VINYL
WIRE & CABLE
NEW PVC PLENUM FORMULATIONS LET TELECOM CABLE MANUFACTURERS MEET UL FLAME RESISTANCE REQUIREMENTS WITH AN ANTIMONY-FREE SOLUTION.
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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