Latest advancements in flame retardant additives for the wire and cable market

TOLSA S.A. will highlight the latest advancements in flame retardant additives for the wire and cable market at the Wire 2024 (International Wire and Cable Trade Fair) on April 15-19 in Düsseldorf, Germany (Hall 15/ L19). The company will showcase its ADINS^® Clay and ADINS^® Fireproof range of high-performance flame retardant (FR) synergists which have won strong adoption in the wire and cable industry.

Safety requirements for polymeric materials and their fire behavior are becoming stricter and, in addition, some flame-retardant solutions, such as some halogenated FRs and synergists (ATO, PTFE) have already been banned or are being monitored due to their potential health and environmental risks. As a result, synergistic additives to flame retardants like Tolsa’s ADINS products are being considered as an alternative that adheres to the regulations and meets health and environmental considerations.

“These unique additives are being considered as a good component for halogen and halogen-free flame-retardant systems in the wire and cable industry,” said Marta Sacristán, Technical Manager, for TOLSA’s Functional Additives “They provide high FR performance, meet today’s regulatory standards, and provide the versatility that formulators and end users require.”

At Wire 2024, Tolsa will present their ceramifying additives, ADINS^® Fireproof and ADINS^® Clay G1. They are based on designed materials based on glasses and natural silicates to boost the char. These compounds reinforce the synergetic effect of the ADINS^® technology with the flame-retardant systems due to the low-temperature glass they form after burning, thus enhancing the consistency of the 3D-reinforcing network within the char.

The ceramic char is highly stable, consistent, and compact, and is more capable of reducing fire propagation by polymer dripping, minimizing heat release, decreasing total smoke production, and improving the integrity of the material. These products work also as thermal insulator layers, reducing the temperature.

The use of ADINS^® Fireproof and ADINS^® Clay G1 boosts the performance of halogen-free and halogenated flame-retardant systems to the highest levels, enabling plastic components such as fire-resistant cables to pass the most stringent fire requirements.

ADINS Fireproof and ADINS Clay G1 additives have proven to be an efficient alternative to achieving the required FR behavior of polymeric materials. These additive materials act as a reinforcing agent when dispersed into a polymer and enhance the mechanical and barrier properties of carbonaceous char formed during fire. They reduce fuel release to the gas phase and, consequently, the heat release rate and smoke rate production.

In addition, these ceramifying additives have shown to be a highly effective synergist in eliminating dripping due to the control of melting polymer during fire conditions. Another important advantage is that due to its unique morphology, structure, and physicochemical properties, these synergists are efficient and environmentally friendly functional additives. The morphology of these additives is also beneficial for the reinforcement of composite microstructures.

Cable compounds containing these ADINS products have shown excellent fire and smoke resistance results in combination with different flame-retardant additives such us metal hydroxides, intumescent, or halogenated FRs.

Tolsa is working closely with leading wire and cable manufacturers to develop cutting-edge applications for the automotive and electrical/electronic industries.