Lucerne, May 2017. Sekisui Alveo has further expanded its product range of flame-retardant foams: With Alveosoft SA CMU 005, the manufacturer of polyolefin foams now offers its unique Alveosoft crosslinked polyolefin foam in a grade that is UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified. That’s good news for OEMs that require UL listing of the plastic components and materials like sealing gaskets they use in their electronical devices, white goods and industrial components.

Highest horizontal flame-resistance rating
​​​​​​​Sekisui Alveo offers its well-known Alveosoft foam in a wide range of types and grades in order to cover a broad variety of different applications and requirements. The latest addition to the portfolio is Alveosoft SA CMU 005, which is UL certified for flame resistance. In horizontal burning tests for foams, test samples with a minimum thickness of 5 mm passed with the highest rating (HF1). The material is now listed in the UL 94 certification directory. Many OEMs require UL listing of the plastic components they use in their products in order to ensure fire safety.

First-choice sealing material
Alveosoft is the world’s softest polyolefin foam and is well known as a unique solution in the market. Its excellent air sealing characteristics at low clamping forces far outperform those of PUR and PVC foams. That’s a key reason the material has become the first choice for many sealing applications and as an acoustic or thermal insulation solution. SA CMU 005 provides the same mechanical properties and visual appearance as other Alveosoft types and in addition is UL certified for flame resistance. This means there is now a standard Alveosoft grade suitable for applications requiring UL listing, which expands the field of potential uses.

Outstanding technical performance profile
Besides its outstanding suppleness, Alveosoft possesses a wide range of characteristics important in sealing applications, such as very low mounting force, excellent air sealing properties at low compression, excellent ageing and chemical resistance compared with non-generic materials, and low water absorption (max. 2%). There are no hydrolysis problems as with PUR, the skin is water repellent, and the material is microbiologically inert against bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, the material displays excellent recovery after compression, low compression set at room temperature and excellent thermal insulation characteristics.

Proven in use
“SA CMU 005 was used in several applications prior to the official market launch,” says Sandro Glanzmann, Application Development Manager at Sekisui Alveo, “and the material has performed as expected in practice”. The proven applications include duct sealing in white goods and thermal and acoustic insulation in domestic heat pumps.

Flexible conversion properties
Alveosoft SA CMU 005 is available as a roll product in thicknesses of 5 mm and greater in colour anthracite. The material gives great flexibility in converting, allowing many common methods such as die cutting, lamination, adhesive coating, and hot-plate and ultrasonic welding.

UL Certification
Registration Code Sekisui Alveo: QMFZ2.E239780