As airlines seek every opportunity to reduce weight, differentiate their brands, minimize costs and enhance their customers’ flying experiences, they need versatile materials, creative design options and global development support from those with a legacy of expertise in achieving these objectives.
At Aircraft Interiors Expo Seattle, taking place November 4-5, 2015, SABIC is showcasing a number of offerings at Booth #302 – including a new sheet material to help customize aircraft interiors and a 3D printed economy class aircraft seat – that are helping aviation customers meet regulatory requirements and OEM standards, enhance safety and sustainability, optimize the passenger experience and use new manufacturing methods.
SABIC
Booth #302
Aircraft Interiors Expo
Washington State Convention Center
Seattle, Washington USA
4-5 November 2015
Aircraft interior designers are often restricted by the clarity and compliance limitations of the transparent materials currently available to them. SABIC’s booth will feature a new material – JET PANEL™ sheet – which provides aircraft interior designers with the flexibility to use color, texture and even to embed natural materials such as plant fibers to create truly one-of-a-kind interior elements, such as dividers, partitions, service areas and oversize interior windows.
JET PANEL sheet is based on SABIC’s 2015 Crystal Cabin Award-winning LEXAN™ XHR2000 sheet and as such, JET PANEL sheet is the first fully-customizable and fully-transparent material that complies with FST regulations such as FAR25.853, BSS7239 and ABD0031, and OSU 65/65 heat release requirements, as well as OEM specifications. Visitors to SABIC’s booth will be able to see the new JET PANEL sheet in use, as the material was selected for the booth’s back wall.
A white-hot spotlight will be shining on a 3D printed economy class aircraft seat, using filament made from SABIC’s ULTEM™ 9085 resin, renowned for being able to take the heat. To inspire seating tiers to take a fresh look at seat design and fabrication, SABIC licensed the Studio Gavari design for a sleek and ergonomically advanced seat. Use of 3D printing enabled the rapid prototyping without the expense or time commitment of tooling, resulting in a seat with less than 15 components, compared to traditionally fabricated seats which can contain upwards of 150 separate parts. ULTEM 9085 resin is highly compatible with 3D printing and meets aircraft industry and OEM-specific heat release and flame, smoke and toxicity requirements.
In addition, SABIC will be highlighting a range of innovative customer solutions using its materials. Among them are:
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A light halo, made from LEXAN™ ML4506 resin. The material offers various transparent and diffusion options, is FAR 25.853 compliant for flame and smoke and OEM toxicity compliant. The material is a candidate for lighting profiles and lens covers
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Semi-structural samples using ULTEM™ EX12403 resin. Carbon fiber filled ULTEM resin is FAR 25.853 compliant for flame and smoke and OEM toxicity compliant. This high-heat material is a candidate for semi-structural parts/profiles.
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LEXAN™ CFR 5630D resin samples, candidates for lighting profiles and lens covers. This next-generation material offers chlorine- and bromine-free thin wall FR technology, with five diffusion effects. Transparent and in-colored options are available in the sister grade, LEXAN™ CFR5630 resin. Both LEXAN CFR 5630 and LEXAN CFR 5630D resins are FAR 25.853 flame (VB < 60 sec.), FAR 25.853 smoke compliant (Ds<200), OEM toxicity compliant, are UV-stabilized and have been lot-to-lot qualified.
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A footrest fabricated from LEXAN™ FST9705 resin, which is FAR 25.853 compliant for flame and smoke, OEM toxicity compliant, FAR 25.853 compliant for heat release (OSU 65/65). The material is a candidate for applications requiring molded-in color, offering the potential for system cost reduction via the elimination of paint.
Aircraft Interiors Seminar Panel Features SABIC Regulatory Expert
Ralph Buoniconti, Senior Regulatory Specialist, SABIC, will be a featured panelist at the concurrent Aircraft Interiors Conference’s seminar entitled “Insights on Testing.”
Mr. Buoniconti, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the regulatory field, is responsible for researching, interpreting and evaluating the impact of global regulatory activities pertaining to the use of thermoplastics in the aerospace and rail industries for SABIC. He participates on a wide range of regulatory body task forces and work groups to inform their efforts related to developing safety and sustainability standards pertaining to thermoplastics. He will be speaking about the changing landscape of FAA testing related to interior components, including those in hidden spaces and seating, at sessions taking place on November 4 at 10 a.m. and November 5 at 11:15 a.m., both local time.
The dynamic nature of the aviation industry demands flexible high-end solutions that can address multiple challenges, including the ever-present need to control costs. SABIC’s continued investment in innovative material technologies, together with a commitment to closely collaborate with aerospace customers, underscores SABIC’s leadership in developing space-age thermoplastic materials for next generation aircraft.
For additional information on SABIC’s products for aircraft interiors, please go to www.sabic-ip.com/transportation.
For technical product inquiries, please contact us at www.sabic-ip.com/prtechinquiry
