Latest products from GE Plastics

Citation

(2007), "Latest products from GE Plastics", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779ead.002

Latest products from GE Plastics

Latest products from GE Plastics

GE Plastics recently launched its Noryl LS6010 resin which claims to offer aircraft OEMs and suppliers an advanced, high-tech solution to the challenges of compliance with toughening global flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) requirements. In addition, Noryl LS6010 resin has a specific gravity of 1.1, which is one of the lowest available for thermoplastics used in aerospace. According to GE Plastics, its light weight characteristic, combined with extremely low-smoke performance, exceptional durability, and non-halogenated flame retardance (FR), make this innovative new material a superior choice for interior aircraft applications, such as rub strips and seat track covers, where low-smoke propagation is mandated. It is available from GE Plastics in custom colors.

Jim Widhalm, Vice President of Sales for Filtrona Extrusion, one of the largest extruders of custom thermoplastic profiles and sheet in the USA, said, “Our aerospace customers are interested in using Noryl LS6010 resin to provide rub strips and other profiles with excellent weight-out and better colourability than nylon. This new product expands material options for interior aircraft parts that do not require compliance to OSU 65/65 but need to pass requirements for vertical burn, smoke density, and toxicity.”

GE's Noryl LS6010 resin can reportedly provide up to 20 percent weight savings. According to The International Air Transport Association for every kilogram of weight that is removed from a single aisle plane, approximately US$372/year is saved in fuel costs; the average life expectancy for this type of aircraft is approximately 20 years. In 2005, 10,580 single-aisle airplanes were required world-wide to service the airline industry, and this number is expected to reach 21,470 by 2025. Likewise, the combined number of regional jets, and single-aisle, twin aisle, and large airplanes is expected to double by the year 2025.

“Thermoplastic resins are highly desirable materials for aircraft interiors due to their light weight and design flexibility,” said Tom Hartle, Global Product Manager, Noryl Resins at GE Plastics. “Noryl resins have been used in applications requiring thin wall flame performance for decades; however, they have seen limited use in transportation markets due to their unacceptable levels of smoke emitted when burned. GE Plastics has changed the game with its new Noryl LS6010 resin. This new material combines best-in-class FR and very low smoke propagation with low specific gravity for weight-out that can lower fuel consumption. Now, suppliers and OEMs can simultaneously improve safety compliance, weight reduction, and design freedom – with one unique resin.”

GE's new Noryl LS6010 resin also eliminates the need for secondary painting. Earlier grades of Noryl resin were only available in black, while new Noryl LS6010 resin is custom- colorable using GE's ColorXpress colour-matching services (www.gecolorxpress.com). Replacing the secondary painting operation with a material such as Noryl LS6010 resin cannot only lower per-part system costs, but may also help to reduce harmful emissions from solvents and spraying. Additional savings may be realized through reduction of capital costs for emission-control equipment.

Noryl LS6010 resin is a blend of modified polyphenylene ether (MPPE) and polystyrene. It has been shown to provide better flame/smoke performance than standard polycarbonate (PC), PC/acrylonitrile- butadiene-styrene, polyamide, and standard MPPE resins. In addition to its low-smoke density and robust FR, new Noryl LS6010 resin is said to satisfy many low-toxicity specifications for carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide.

By enhancing the rapid formation of char – which acts as a thermal insulation layer to help protect the underlying polymer material and as a barrier to the passage of gases from degraded material – Noryl LS6010 resin can help reduce smoke and further combustion. Also, this new material has enhanced resistance to melting and dripping as compared to many other materials when exposed to elevated temperatures. Noryl LS6010 resin meets the requirements of FAR 25.853.

Because it can be extruded as well as injection molded, Noryl LS6010 resin provides a new option for interior applications such as rub strips, seat track covers, switch panels, cable guides, conduit, wall/ceiling mounted electronics, and parts machined from slab stock.

This new material is available globally and is also well suited for rail interiors and other interior applications for the transportation industry.

Ultem 9085 Resin

To help the aerospace industry boost fuel efficiency, performance, and safety, GE Plastics has also announced new flame- retardant Ultem 9085 resin for aircraft interiors. This new material claims better flow and ductility than GE's Ultem 9075 resin – the previous industry standard – to enable thinner-wall parts with excellent impact strength. Further, comparing the two materials, new Ultem 9085 resin can reportedly reduce part weight by 5-15 percent via thinner walls, supporting the goal of lower fuel consumption. At the same time, Ultem 9085 resin delivers the highest modulus of any Ultem resin grade, providing enhanced stiffness to ensure excellent application durability. These greatly improved properties are said to make the new GE product a top choice for demanding applications such as decompression grilles, window reveals, and personal service units.

According to Joseph F. Jahn, President and CEO of Vaupell, a Seattle, Wash-based molder and Tier 1 aircraft supplier, “Vaupell has worked closely with GE Plastics for several decades supporting the development of resins for the aerospace industry. GE's new Ultem 9085 resin material demonstrates distinct improvements in processability and physical properties performance compared to the company's Ultem 9075 resin.”

Like all Ultem resin grades, the new material is inherently flame-retardant, claiming full FST compliance including OSU heat release of less than 55/55. Ultem 9085 resin is said to provide up to 25 percent improvement in ductility and a threefold improvement in flow compared to Ultem 9075 resin, enabling a reduction in both part weight and the amount of resin required. It also delivers good chemical resistance. The new material is lighter in color than its predecessor, making it easier to achieve specific aesthetic effects.

“The aerospace industry is constantly looking for new ways to reduce part weight for better fuel efficiency, and using thinner-wall parts are a great approach,” said Ann Delvin, Product Manager, High Performance Products at GE Plastics. “We improved upon our workhorse grade, Ultem 9075 resin, with a new material that allows suppliers to create large, thin-wall parts with excellent impact resistance and stiffness. Ultem 9085 resin can play an important role in decreasing weight while delivering high performance in a wide range of applications.”

Lexan FST9705 resin

It is also introduced that Lexan FST9705 PC copolymer, a totally new resin platform to help OEMs and aircraft interior suppliers achieve weight- and cost-out goals without sacrificing processability. Complementing GE Plastics' high- performance Ultem PEI flame- retardant resins, this new material gives designers a fresh solution to today's stringent performance, regulatory, and aesthetic requirements. Lexan FST9705 resin is said to be an excellent candidate for such applications as personal service units, window reveals and bezels, and claims a combination of advantages: full FST compliance including OSU 55/55 heat- release performance; molded-in color including bright whites; and the ability to produce ductile, thin-wall parts that can contribute to fuel conservation through lighter weight.

Thanks to its inherently light base color, Lexan FST resin enables bright whites with an L^* value (measure of the lightness of the color) up to 94 in CIE Lab color space. Molded-in color helps reduce the approximately 5kg of paint used in cabins today. An additional benefit is the durability of the resin surface in high-wear applications, compared to painted plastic.

“The aircraft industry has long been looking for a flame/smoke/toxicity (FST)-compliant material with improved colourability,” said Doug Hamilton, Product Manager for Lexan Resin at GE Plastics. “Now, with Lexan FST9705 resin, GE has delivered. This new platform has been engineered to help solve key performance challenges facing interior component designers, particularly weight reduction and paint elimination for parts requiring bright white or integral colors that can withstand UV exposure. The ductility of this material also helps achieve lower part cost by enabling thin-wall design. In fact, it has the highest ductility of any OSU-compliant material in the GE portfolio. Now, instead of limitations from existing resins, customers will see limitless possibilities.”

Previously, designers had to compromise between resin processability and compliance with the Ohio State University standard for heat release. Lexan FST9705 resin's processability is similar to that of PC- type products. Its lower processing temperatures allow customers to avoid oil-heated tooling. Lexan FST9705 resin also gives designers and OEMs design room to accommodate future heat release requirements, as it provides OSU 55/55 performance.

Aircraft interior suppliers have been challenged in the past to produce parts with reflective surfaces to optimize LED lighting in aircraft interiors. To counteract the yellowing common to many resins, these parts have required secondary painting operations to achieve a bright white color. GE's light-colored Lexan FST resin can easily be prepared in bright white or any other color prior to molding, eliminating the time and cost of painting.

Many interior parts are exposed to impact loads – from baggage being jammed into an overhead bin, knee and foot impact on sidewalls and tray tables, and service carts hitting seating. The higher ductility of Lexan FST resin is considered an attractive solution for parts requiring high abuse tolerance. It is also important for enabling thin-wall applications that reduce part weight and contribute to fuel savings.

GE's Lexan FST resin can be injection- molded or used in profile extrusions. Potential applications for the new material include: stow bin threshold trim; personal service units; window reveals and bezels; decompression and speaker grilles; and magazine racks.

Looking ahead, this new copolymer platform holds promise for other materials such as high clarity, transparent resin and sheet products that will satisfy new industry trends such as larger windows, transparent partitions and stairways, and LED lighting panels.

For further details, please contact: GE Plastics, Tel.: +1 413-448-5175, web site: www.geplastics.com