AUL14 from Armacell UK Ltd - Successful Launch by Armacell for Fire Class Insulation Materials

Armacell celebrated a successful premiere of their latest Armaflex Ultima insulation material at the ISO’12 European trade fair for insulation technology which was held recently in Cologne. With this blue elastomeric foam, Armacell is believed to be the first manufacturer to offer a flexible insulation material which achieves European fire class B-s1, d0. The insulation material has an extremely low smoke density, making it an important contribution to the overall level of fire safety in buildings. In order to be able to install the new material reliably, Armacell has developed a range of purpose designed adhesives specifically for use with Armaflex Ultima. The product is also patent pending and will be launched on several European markets later in the year. Furthermore, Armaflex Ultima meets the requirements for sustainable construction and green building, such as the criteria for the LEED (US), BREEAM (UK) and GREEN STAR systems. All three are third-party certification programs for measuring the environmental sustainability of new and existing homes and buildings, with BREEAM being mandatory for new housing projects in the UK.

Statistics indicate that fires kill between 6,000 and 10,000 people annually in Europe alone. But only a few of these are killed by the flames, the majority die as a consequence of smoke inhalation. In the event of a fire it is vital that escape routes can be found quickly – which is only possible with minimal smoke development. The new European fire classification takes this fact into account, and when assessing the fire behaviour of building products not only tests the flammability, but also the smoke density and the production of burning droplets. The new Armaflex Ultima is the first flexible insulation material to achieve fire class B-s1, d0 in the European fire test. The insulation material releases only a minimal amount of smoke in a fire and thus makes an important contribution to the safety of people in buildings.

For maximum safety and sustainability, all public, commercial and residential new-builds should be planned and built incorporating the principles of sustainability, with the renovation of existing buildings also being given the same consideration. A Green Building certification is now important, and buildings certified under LEED, BREEAM or a comparable national scheme, such as the German DGNB, are characterised by high resource efficiency in the areas of energy, water and materials to have as little negative impact on health and the environment as possible. A range of tubes and sheets, in various sizes and thickness combinations is available in the Armaflex Ultima range, which in combination with the solvent-free Armaflex Ultima SF990 adhesive, can contribute to fulfilling the criteria for LEED certification. As with all Armaflex insulation materials, Armaflex Ultima conserves natural resources and reduces the emission of climate-damaging CO2. The range of purpose designed adhesives developed for the Ultima insulation systems include:

- Armaflex Ultima SF990 Adhesive: the first solvent and VOC-free adhesive for installing elastomeric insulation materials
- Armaflex Ultima RS850 Adhesive: High-performance adhesive with reduced solvent content for clean, non-drip installation
- Armaflex Ultima 700 Adhesive: reliable special adhesive for a wide temperature range

The choice of adhesive depends on the requirements of the project in question, and Armaflex Ultima is available in both standard and self-adhesive versions. In order to provide a reliable insulation system for the sensitive area around the pipe bracket, the Armafix pipe support is also offered in the new Armaflex Ultima quality.