Kingspan Insulated Panels, Australia’s largest manufacturer of FM-approved Firesafe PIR (Polyisocyanurate-cored) insulated panels applauds Bondor Metecno for gaining FM- approved status for part of its product offering.
Kingspan welcomes the entry of a competitor into the FM-approved arena, saying it will be good for the entire industry as customers are more comfortable with more choice.
Kingspan’s National Sales Director David McMahon welcomed Bondor’s conversion to the cause of safety in insulated panel construction.
“It confirms what Kingspan has been telling the market from the start. Australia will follow Europe in moving to PIR panels, driven by pressure from insurance companies,” he says.
Bondor General Manager Robert Zahara earlier made clear his company’s reason for moving to FM-approval and PIR core products: “One major advantage of PIR as a core in insulated sandwich panels is its fire-resistant properties. Whereas expanded polystyrene melts in a fire, PIR only chars and has significantly better reaction to fire properties,” he said in Steel Edge, a newsletter from BlueScope Steel Pty Ltd, in February 2005.
“PIR is widely accepted in the USA and Europe as the ideal combination of safety, lightness and economy in insulated building panels.”
FM Global dominates testing and insurance in fire-resistant and non-combustible wall and ceilings materials. It has 1500 engineers and a US$79m research campus dedicated to measuring risk.
FM-approval applies to the entire Kingspan range of wall, façade and roofing panel systems because PIR cores do not spread fire. Certified PIR core insulated panels have replaced polystyrene (EPS) in the UK market. The reason is that the insurance industry has chosen to approve PIR panels. It reduces the insurance premium to use Certified PIR, especially if they use FM Global approved.
Polystyrene (EPS) has a poor safety record, with major cold store fires in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia. Polystyrene (EPS) foam is thermoplastic (softens when heated). Thermoplastic materials tend to melt and shrink away from heat long before ignition.
This melting causes gaps that reduce the structural strength of the panels which buckle and open the joints, introducing flame and air into the core. Flames can then spread between the panels and leading to the collapse of walls and ceilings.
On the other hand, polyisocyanurate foam is a thermosetting material. It does not melt, flow or drip when exposed to fire. Rather, it forms a strong char that helps protect the foam core and prevent flame spread within the panels.