SABIC
LNP THERMOCOMP AM DC0041XA51
On September 13, SABIC, a global company in the chemical industry, introduced a new novel carbon fibre-reinforced, flame-retardant compound at InnoTrans 2022 in Berlin. The company says that it is well-suited for pellet-fed additive manufacturing (PFAM) that complies with E.U. and U.S. rail fire safety standards.
SABIC hopes that the new compound, named LNP THERMOCOMP AM DC0041XA51, will help the rail industry advance from building traditional tools for part production from thermosets to utilising on demand 3D printing. It aims to potentially lower system costs by reducing inventory levels of large tools and replacement parts.
At InnoTrans 2022, SABIC is exhibiting a large front-hatch part printed by CAF, a leading multinational supplier of comprehensive transit solutions for major railway networks, using the new compound. CAF chose this compound with the aim of printing replacement parts quickly and minimising lead times.
“With our increased focus on 3D printing, we were looking for a material that complies with the stringent safety requirements set forth in international standards like NFPA 130 or EN45545,” said Lucas Esteban, operational manager from Digital Manufacturing, CAF.
Esteban continued: “SABIC’s LNP THERMOCOMP AM DC0041XA51 compound has unique features that fit well with industry requirements, including the appropriate railway certificates. Its non-halogenated flame-retardant system addresses current sustainability trends, and its carbon fibre reinforcement and favourable processing allow us to make larger part geometries with sufficient stiffness and limited warpage.”
The new compound is one of the first PFAM-capable materials to comply with requirements of the harmonised European EN45545 standard (R1 Hazard Level 3) and the U.S. NFPA-130 standard for interior and exterior parts. The product has been certified compliant with both standards by an independent laboratory.
The new material offers important performance advantages for printing large parts using PFAM. According to SABIC, it maintains its structural integrity during printing and delivers good dimensional stability with low warpage for the finished part. The company states that it may eliminate the need for additional investment since the product facilitates high printing speeds at relatively moderate temperatures.
Potential other applications could include exterior parts such as bumpers, interior cladding components such as side panels, partition walls and ducts, and seating backs and shells.
Luc Govaerts, director, Formulation and Application Development, Specialties Business, SABIC, said: “We developed our newest LNP THERMOCOMP AM compound to offer the rail industry a regulation-compliant solution that can be used for on-demand printing of large, complex exterior and interior parts in relatively small build numbers.”
