Requests and Challenges presented by the Client
Their main client had decided to launch a new range of fire doors and a significant part of the gaskets in traditional PVC compound risked no longer being up to the challenge imposed by the market.
The client, who purchased the standard compound from us, presented us with some complex problems that he had no experience with:
- He did not know which material to use for the gaskets. From a quick search by his technical office he had discovered that the fireproof materials on the market were either too rigid for the gaskets or completely out of the market in terms of price.
- Costs and times not compatible with those required by the customer’s prime contractor, who feared losing the fire door business.
The biggest challenge for TPV was to understand how the PVC compound could resist fire.
The TPV Compound Solution
The immediate solution for the customer was to turn to us, because we were considered the only ones able to guarantee a product suitable for the process needed to meet the required standards.
Our technicians immediately focused on the ability of a material to create a barrier useful for slowing the spread of smoke and preventing flames from spreading.
This approach was the lever to arrive at the winning solution: creating an intumescent PVC compound through the use of specific additives.
In the event of a fire, in fact, the additives inserted in the material acted on the expansion of the gasket, on the growth volume and on the heat and flame refractory properties.
The results proved to be in line with the UNI 11473 and UNI EN 1366 specifications and therefore the material was suitable for the application.
Benefits obtained by the Customer
Thanks to our solution, the customer was able to produce PVC gaskets that guarantee passive fire protection, slow the spread of flames and limit the immediate effects of a fire.
The sales of gaskets grew by 70%, because the end customer’s fireproof doors were a great success on the market.
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