Fire Resistance in Plastics 2018

December 10 - December 12, 2018
Heumarkt 20, 50667 Köln, Germany

The 13th edition of AMI’s international Fire Resistance in Plastics Conference will take place on 10-12 December 2018 at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany.

Increasingly stringent fire, health and environmental protection regulation is driving the need for safer and more efficient flame retardant systems in electrical and electronic goods, construction and transportation. This December, a panel of expert speakers will deliver papers discussing the state of the art in flame retardant plastics, as well as the latest developments in markets, technology, materials, testing and regulation.

Fire Resistance in Plastics 2018 boasts a broad international audience with companies joining from all around the world. It brings together representatives of the entire supply chain (from raw material suppliers to users), offering unrivalled opportunities to network, exchange experience and learn through interaction with colleagues, suppliers, customers and competitors.

The two-day conference programme will kick-off with our Market Overview session, focusing on the latest trends in flame retardants requirements and demand (THE EUROPEAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY COUNCIL – CEFIC), highlighting new performance and safety challenges for plastics concerning electro mobility (CLARIANT PLASTICS & COATINGS (D)) and sharing on the latest antimony regulatory developments and the i2a product stewardship initiative from INTERNATIONAL ANTIMONY ASSOCIATION.

Session 1 addresses new material concepts and innovations by leading institutes including FRAUNHOFER LBF, ENSCL – UMET, and IMDEA MATERIALS INSTITUTE. Developments in halogen free technologies will be explored by ADEKA CORPORATION and CHEMISCHE FABRIK BUDENHEIM KG.

Two papers and a panel discussion drive the second session on opportunities and challenges in the FR market. Dr. Günter Beyer will give us a deep view into the flame retardancy and fire resistance of silicone-based materials, while EMPA – SWISS FEDERAL LABORATORIES FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY will talk about new flame retardants for thermoplastic fibres. Implications of plastics recycling and flame retardants in the circular economy will be debated in the panel discussion and will provide an interactive forum for attendees to gain insight from our expert panellists.

Day 2 of the conference begins with sharing data on the research and lab scale testing of fire retardant properties with ECOLES DES MINES D’ALES and MARMON INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY presenting results of using a cone calorimeter. Plasma technologies and results on polymer surface functionalisation will be explored by MATERIA NOVA to outline the benefits for flame retardancy.

End-use applications and the performance of flame retardants will follow with ICL-IP covering sustainable styrenics for automotive and appliance applications. A new plastic group for electronics will be discussed by MGG POLYMERS GmbH and CPR complying cables will be explored by IPOOL to explore the opportunities and drawbacks.

Synergistic FR systems, addressed in session 5, will be more and more required to fulfil the ongoing demand on higher flame retardant compositions. Additives and fillers play a key role in optimising FRs for demanding applications and this will be explored by QUARZWERKE GmbH, BYK-CHEMIE GmbH and EUROPIREN B.V. to conclude the conference.