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ATO REPLACEMENT
The replacement of antimony (ATO) in brominated flame retardants systems has been a longtime industry priority due to its high weight per volume (specific gravity) and consequently negative impact on final formulation costs. In addition, ATO is being scrutinized due to toxicity and pollution concerns. With ATO prices now increasing worldwide, replacement of ATO has once again become a high priority for many users.
To support the industry’s demands, FRX Polymers has successfully validated Nofia flame retardant’s effectiveness as an ATO replacement in glass-filled nylon 66 and 6, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), high impact polystyrene, and acrylonitrile butadiene estyrene (ABS).
Nofia FRs have a specific gravity of 1.2 and having the added advantage of being polymeric, Nofia materials will not migrate or bleed out of the host plastic over time. ATO has a low molecular weight which means that ATO can migrate out of the host plastic over time. ATO also has about five times higher specific gravity compared to Nofia additives, thus manufacturers need more material of ATO containing formulations to produce parts than with Nofia FR containing compositions.
In typical formulations, the end customer will start to experience a savings per part when using Nofia additives versus ATO, when ATO prices are higher than about $5.5/kg. ATO prices prices fluctuated between $7.5/kg up to $9/kg in 2017. Thus, customers would typically save between 2 to 3.5 cents per part of 100ml in 2017.
Moreover, using Nofia FRs eliminate the health and environmental concerns associated with ATO, and due to its polymeric nature, Nofia additives deliver improved mechanical properties compared to ATO.
Benefits
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Halogen Free
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Non-Migrating
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Specific gravity of 1.2
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Lower cost in use
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1:1 replacement or partial replacement
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Improve mechanical properties
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Sustainable solution to reduce any environmental concern of ATO
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Address the supply and price fluctuation concerns of ATO
Target Polymer Systems
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Glass-filled nylon 66 and 6
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Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)
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Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
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Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)
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High impact polystyrene (HIPS)
Solutions
