Technical Texttiles

Reliance Industries introduces fire-retardant Recron® FS for enhanced safety in home, office furnishings

It takes eons to fulfil a dream, but in a moment it can be reduced to ashes, literally. Fire can engulf and destroy everything you cherish in the blink of an eye. Such is its destructive power.

 

As human race is evolving and modernising, incidences of fire are increasing. It is now one of the biggest hazards, leading to major fatalities and destruction of property.

 

One of the key causes of fire is negligence. Its spread is caused by the presence of flammable substances in the vicinity. In majority of the fire instances, textile plays a major role in quick spread as it is flammable and present in most establishments – be it home, office, hospital, cinema hall, hotel and car, or aeroplane.

 

Textiles are used to make homes, offices, and entertainment, commercial and health establishments both appealing and comfortable. Things like seat covers, carpets and curtains are used in most establishments. Time and again studies into fire-related catastrophes have revealed that fabrics / textiles are to be blamed for the quick spread of the fire.

 

Recron® FS: A unique blend of safety and beauty

 

As a remedy to this, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has developed Recron® FS, a fire-retardant polyester, which not only brings the highest standard of safety in the fabric by making it fire-retardant, but also enhances the aesthetical aspects. Recron® FS is RIL’s unique offering to the textile world – the most beautiful and the safest textile.

 

In about a 340 million square metre global fire retardant home textile market, fire-retardant polyester accounts for 33%, or exactly one-third.

 

Recron® FS is permanently fire retardant

Fabrics play an important role in beautification. And fabrics made from Recron® FS not just enhance aesthetics, they also enhance safety.

 

Technologies to develop fire retardant fabrics has been in existence since the Seventies. However, they were limiting as far as permanency of fire retardancy and toxicity of chemicals used were concerned. Most of these old technologies were restricted to flame retardant levels corresponding to phosphorous contents below 6500 ppm, and only manufactured using virgin polyester.

 

But in coming up with Recron® FS, RIL has developed a new technology that enables flame retardancy from the levels of 7000 ppm to 25000 ppm depending on the end use. RIL’s technology also allows the use of recycled polyester as a feedstock to produce permanently flame-retardant polyester. The technology also does not allow depletion of tenacity.

 

New sustainable technology

Recron® FS, the new-age fire retardant polyester, has all ingredients of sustainable technology. Life span, cost effectiveness, excellent and permanent fire retardant performance, permanency of colour, and the ability to use recycled polyester make it a sustainable technology.

 

The physical and chemical bonding of phosphorous with polyester matrix makes fire retardancy permanent. This helps in the creation of a textile raw material that doesn’t allow fire to spread easily. And thus, fabrics made from Recron® FS possess the unique ability to provide everlasting fire safety in any application and every instance.

 

Recron® FS is manufactured under the most environment-friendly conditions and is a part of the responsible care product offering from RIL.

 

Use Recron® FS where safety is paramount

Recron® FS is the most sought after fibre for all fire-retardant fabrics largely used in transportation industry – aviation, marine and roadways. It is also used in cinemas, hospitals, hotels, banquet halls, libraries, as well as for household furnishings.

 

Since Recron® FS has a large bouquet of variants, it can be used in weaving fabrics for curtains, carpets and upholstery and offers the same fire-retardant performance across the varied application. It can be easily dyed in various attractive shades and hues. Since the fire retardancy is bound in the molecules, it can be washed without fear of losing its fire retardant properties, shine, colour and texture.

 

 

 

 

 

Recron® FS – Infinite Applications

 

Recron® FS gives the desired fire protection for the entire fabric requirement across industries and households. Moreover, the lifelong fire retardant nature of the fabric assures higher safety and reduces life cycle cost. It help protect colour of interiors and furnishings from fading and deteriorating from sunlight exposure. It also protects the room from sun glare and help reduces the load on air conditioners.

 

Since it is Oekotex Standard 100 (a stringent worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for raw, semi-finished and finished textile products) certified, it can be used to make fabrics that require the most stringent human-ecological standards established for baby products.

 

The key features of fibres that weavers look for are all embedded in Recron® FS. It aids in the creation of high quality, easy-to-care and durable end products and offers excellent dye-ability, easy care and abrasion resistance properties. It does not need any special chemical processing or extra care in washing or drying.

 

 

Unique Benchmarking and Branding Services

 

In addition to strong technical support and promotional services, Recron® FS will ensure that all fabrics undergo rigorous fire retardant tests. RIL extends its support to the fabric makers to install a sustainable process to make permanently flame-retardant fabrics. In case any fabric does not pass the tests, the Recron® FS team will work with the fabric maker to identify the problems and find solution for it.

 

 

Upon successful passing of the requisite tests, the fabric maker can manufacture and use the unique Recron® FS trademark on the fabrics. This trademark is an assurance to the entire value chain and to the end customers about the quality, adherence of standards, and high performance of the fabrics.
 

Stringent Tests Add To Recron® FS Credentials

 

Recron® FS has not only cleared RIL’s in-house tests at its R&D facilities but has also passed stringent tests at independent globally renowned testing centres. Some of the stringent tests that Recron® FS has passed are:

 

Limiting Oxygen Index: ASTM D2863:1987, IS-13501:1992

Flammability classified as B1 according to DIN 4102

Flammability Test (Vertical): IS 11871:1986, BS 3119

Flammability Test (45* Angle): ASTM 1230:1994

Flammability classified as M1: NF P 92 503, 504, 505, 507

Flame Propagation Test: NFPA 701:2004 (Class-I)

Flame Spread – Vertical IS: 15758:2007, Part 4; ISO: 15025:2002 (Index 3)

Fire standards for maritime applications as well as for civil aviation

 

Recron® FS at Heimtextil Frankfurt

Buoyed by a big success of the introductory launch of Recron® FS at MoOD2017 in Belgium, RIL will now showcase an extended range of Recron® FS, a fire-retardant textile solutions with diverse features and applications, at Heimtextil Frankfurt. RIL cordially invites you to visit the Recron® enclosure at Hall 8, Stand No. 72 during 9th to 12th January, 2018 in Frankfurt, Germany.

 

About Reliance Polyester Business

 

Reliance Polyester Business, a part of Petrochemicals Division of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), is the largest integrated polyester fibre and yarn producer in the world with a capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per annum. Recron® is the flagship brand for Reliance Polyesters.

 

‘Innovation for Life’ is the guiding philosophy at RIL’s Polyester Business and Recron®, an umbrella brand for polyesters, has many innovative products in its bouquet. Over the years, RIL has consolidated its leadership position in the polyester business on the strength of its integrated operations, economies of scale and diversified product range. RIL gives utmost importance and allocate vast resources on research and development activity pertaining to polyesters.