First clear thermoplastic polycarbonate to meet industry flammability standards for electronics

22-Jun-09

Bayer MaterialScience LLC has introduced new, patent-pending Makrolon® FR7087 polycarbonate resin, believed to be the first clear thermoplastic material to meet UL 94 5VA at 3mm thickness (internal Bayer test results. UL Yellow Card pending). UL 94 is widely used in electronics as the industry standard for flammability of plastic materials and components. Aside from the new Makrolon FR7087 polycarbonate, there are extremely limited transparent material options available that meet the UL 94 5VA requirements, such as glass. The resin has passed all of our stringent internal testing, and expects a UL Yellow Card to be issued later this summer. While glass is prone to breaking and difficult to produce in complex shapes, the new polycarbonate resin offers the appearance of glass combined with the renowned impact strength and moldability of Makrolon polycarbonate, making it ideal for demanding lighting and electrical applications. The new product is said to have light transmission close to 90% at 3mm while having around 1% haze. Makrolon FR7087 polycarbonate resin may also provide a system cost reduction benefit. Selecting materials that meet UL 94 5VA can potentially eliminate the need to electrically isolate components from non-flame-retardant clear materials or the need to separately test the final component for UL listing.