GE Plastics introduces high-performance materials for aircraft interiors

Pittsfield, Mass.-based GE Plastics has released three new advanced resin material solutions to meet the demands of the aircraft interiors industry.

“The [number of] in-service aircrafts are going to double over the next twenty years,” noted GE Plastics Transportation global market director Gina Harm in a product release webcast on April 25, adding that the number is expected to go from 17,000 aircrafts in service today to about 30,000 by 2025. “There’s going to be an ongoing opportunity for materials and material specifications in these new aircrafts, as well as aircraft refurbishments.”

The flame-retardant, flame/smoke/toxicity (FST) compliant Ultem 9085 resin offers better flow and ductility than its predecessor, the Ultem 9075 resin. Ultem 9085 enables thinner-wall parts with excellent impact strength, and can reduce part weight by five to 15 per cent via thinner walls.

GE also claims that the Ultem 9085 delivers the highest modulus of any Ultem resin grade, thus providing enhanced stiffness to ensure excellent application durability. The Ultem 9085 resin is a good choice for applications such as decompression grilles, window reveals and personal service units.

The new Noryl LS6010 resin offers aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers a solution to toughening global FST requirements. In addition, the resin has a gravity of 1.1, one of the lowest available for aerospace thermoplastics.

GE Plastics says Noryl LS6010 is a competitive choice for interior aircraft applications such as rub strips and seat track covers, where low smoke propagation is mandated. The product is available in custom colours.

The Lexan FST9705 polycarbonate (PC) copolymer is intended to help OEMs and suppliers achieve weight-out and cost-out goals without sacrificing processability. GE Plastics recommends the resin for such applications as personal service units, window reveals and bezels.

Lexan FST9705 is FST compliant, has a molded-in colour including bright whites, and provides OEMs with the ability to produce ductile, thin-wall parts with lighter weight.