DSM Engineering Plastics today announced that its XANTAR® C CE 407 resin
allows NedTrain, a provider of train car maintenance and overhaul services, to
supply state-of-the-art cladding systems for walls and ceilings in passenger
coaches. The DSM resin not only provides aesthetic yet durable, and
low-maintenance cladding systems, but also complies with strict flame, smoke
and toxicity regulations. Further,
XANTAR C CE 407 resin is environmental friendly as it contains the newest
flame retardant technology. Finally, this resin helped NedTrain achieve its
goal of cost savings in both the production and maintenance of claddings.
“Our services to the Dutch railway (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), and other
customers, require us to periodically replace cladding on the walls and
ceilings of rail cars,” said Joop van Hillo, senior buyer for NedTrain. “We
were looking for a better solution than traditional polyester RIM sheet that
would be environmentally responsible and less expensive to manufacture.
And of course, to reduce our maintenance costs, we wanted a material that
would keep its attractive appearance even with heavy use. Working closely with
DSM Engineering Plastics, we achieved a cladding system that met all of our
requirements.”
To create the cladding, XANTAR C CE 407 resin, a blend of polycarbonate and
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS), is co-extruded with a very thin
top-layer of Polyvinylidene Difluoride (PVDF) and then thermoformed. PVDF acts
as a protective layer enhancing easy cleaning of the cladding. Cladding for
the ceiling features a sandwich construction with a layer of foam for sound
dampening.
“DSM Engineering Plastics takes pride in providing value-added services to our
customers,” said Jac Spijkers, Application Development Manager at Global
Research & Technology. “We were involved from the very beginning of the
project at NedTrain, including supporting the converters, thermoformers and
system suppliers with various technical issues from design improvements to
material handling. This collaboration resulted in a safe, durable and
attractive cladding system.”
XANTAR C CE 407 resin delivered specific benefits to NedTrain and its
customers. The material meets the stringent flame, smoke, and toxicity
requirements of DIN 5510-2 and has an F2 smoke toxicity rating according to NF
F 16 101. Its state-of-the-art flame-retardant system is free of chlorinated
and brominated additives in accordance with VDE 472 part 815.
XANTAR C resin’s performance features include excellent dimensional stability,
enabling the extruded sheets to fit together tightly when mounted so there is
no annoying squeaking, rattling, or humming when the car is in motion.
Superior chemical resistance helps to keep the cladding free from graffiti, as
it is easy to clean and preserves its attractive surface finish.
The DSM resin also offers optimized processing: it is tuned for easy extrusion
and vacuum forming. Due to its high thermal stability, a stable processing
window is assured. Low outgassing and juicing mean less downtime to clean
machinery, yielding longer production runs and less difficulties to maintain a
healthy environment.
XANTAR C CE 407 resin is commercially available in Europe.
