Fire: Clear View Under Heat
Canadian Plastics
It's hard to exaggerate the importance of having a clear field of vision when you're battling against a burning building. For this reason, the PAB Company - a Buzet, Croatia-based manufacturer of safety equipment - selected the new high...
It’s hard to exaggerate the importance of having a clear field of vision when you’re battling against a burning building.
For this reason, the PAB Company – a Buzet, Croatia-based manufacturer of safety equipment – selected the new high performance Ultrason E2010 HC polyether sulfone, supplied by BASF, for the visor of its FIRE HT 04 heat-resistant firefighter’s helmet.
In developing this new Ultrason variant, BASF was able to reduce the typical inherent yellow colour of the plastic, allowing for good visual purity. Together with its ability to withstand temperatures of 250C for 30 minutes without being damaged – and even temperatures of 1000C for 10 seconds – the material was a good fit for use in the visor, BASF said, and the visor represents its first incorporation in a commercial application.
The helmet and visor can be produced by injection molding so that even complex shapes with integrated functions can be easily achieved.
The toughness of this transparent plastic makes it break-resistant even under extremely rough conditions, BASF said; also, the material is lightweight enough that the helmet weighs only 1.2 kg, making it comfortable to wear.
BASF Canada (Mississauga, Ont.); www.basf.ca; 1-866-485-2273
