Rosenbauer, the world leader in mobile fire protections and civil defence
solutions, recently introduced “Heros-Xtreme”, a new fireman’s helmet, tested
and approved according to
EN 443:1997 and prEN 443:2006.
The material selected for this application was Stanyl®, which offers an
outstanding heat stability. This unique high temperature thermoplastic offers
greater impact and penetration resistance, which keeps the helmet stable even
at extreme temperatures.
The Rosenbauer Group is pleased with the new product’s properties and
performance. “We are dedicated to providing the very best in fire-fighting and
safety vehicles and gear” said Hans Detzlhofer, vice president of the
Rosenbauer Group. “Fire helmets must perform among the most stressful of
environments, combining maximum protection with user comfort and convenience.
We sought a material that would be tough enough to withstand the hardships of
a firefighter’s job, yet light enough for the wearer to manoeuvre easily, with
no compromise on design or safety.”
Although the requirements were daunting, DSM Engineering Plastics, working
closely with Austrian-based Advanced Polymer Compounds (APC) a company
specialized among other things in formulating and testing recipes in
compounding processes, has succeeded formidably in meeting the technological
challenge of developing a product that does not self-ignite, drip or
delaminate at temperatures of up to 250ºC. The result is a solution that
passed all thermal, chemical and mechanical tests with flying colours. FACT
Future Advanced Composites & Technology in Germany was responsible for
carrying out the long-fibre reinforcement process.
APC’s (and) DSM’s reactive impact modified long-fibre glass reinforced Stanyl®
high performance polyamide is currently commercially available in Europe.
Carbon fibre grades will become available in 2008.
