Their main client had decided to launch a new range of fire doors and a large part of the seals made of a traditional PVC compound risked being no longer adequate to meet the new market challenge. The customer turned to TPV, from which they already bought the standard compound, presenting some complex problems they had no experience with:

• They did not know which material to use for the door seals. Based on a quick search conducted by their technical department, they had discovered that the fire-resistant materials on the market were either too rigid for seals or completely overpriced.
• the costs and times of redesigning the extrusion process for a change of material were not compatible with the timeframe set by the prime contractor, plus there was the added concern that a different supplier would be chosen for the new fire door seals.

The customer’s immediate solution was to call TPV Compound, the only company that could guarantee a product compatible with the current process. The biggest challenge was to figure out how to make the PVC compound resistant to fire. TPV’s technicians immediately focused not on the capacity of polymers to withstand the heat of fire, but rather on the ability of a material to provide a barrier able to slow the propagation of heat and prevent flames from spreading. This led to a winning idea: to create an intumescent PVC compound by using additives which, in the event of fire, would enable a speed and volume of expansion of the seal and heat and flame resistant properties fully in compliance with the specifications of standards UNI 11473 and UNI EN 1366.

Thanks to the solution adopted, the customer was able to produce PVC seals which ensure passive fire protection, slow the spread of flames and limit the immediate effects of a fire. The sales of seals have increased by 70%, because the fire doors of the prime contractor have enjoyed large market success.