Japan’s Toray Industries, Inc. has developed a high-performance flame-shielding paper using polyphenylene sulfide fibre, Torcon, and polyacrylonitrile-base flame resistant yarn manufactured by its subsidiary, Zoltek Companies, Inc.

The flame-shielding paper combines flexible thin film with outstanding fire resistance and high flame-shielding performance of more than 10 minutes (measured using Toray’s proprietary evaluation method). Using this flame-shielding paper in products that require fire resistance will improve the fire resistance properties of those products making them even safer. Replacing the existing thick and solid fire retardant materials with this paper will help in saving space and reducing the size of the final products.

Torcon is a thermoplastic fibre with fire retardation, heat resistant and chemical resistant properties and is mainly used widely in bag filter for coal-fired thermal power generation boilers. In addition, the flame resistant yarn produced by Zoltek, a large-tow carbon fibre production company that became a Toray subsidiary in February 2014, is oxidized polyacrylonitrile yarn fired in the air and is used in various industrial fields led by brake pads for aircraft and spatter sheet by leveraging its outstanding fire retardation and heat resistance, according to a press release.

The flame-shielding paper has high permeability and reduces heat retention and exhibits outstanding anchoring effect when applying adhesive in three-dimensional processing. For this reason, it has the unprecedented characteristics of being thin, light, mouldable and flame-shielding, and it is expected be used in a wide range of fields as it not only improves fire proof property of final products and reduce the risk of catching fire but also contributes to reducing space and weight of the products. (GK)