DuPont recently inaugurated the new Thermo-Man® burn test unit at its European Technical Center (ETC) in Meyrin, in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland.
The event included an explorative journey through the DuPont European Technical Center, where DuPont engineers and technicians work with key partners to test and develop new safety garments to the most stringent global standards. During 2018, the Center enjoyed more than 1000 visits from end-users and value chain partners.
Guests at the event witnessed the latest smart and innovative Personal Protective Equipment made with Nomex® and Kevlar®, as well as Tyvek® and Tychem® coveralls and the new Tychem® Chemical gloves, to be showcased in the Innovation Center.
In addition to senior staff from DuPont, the inauguration day also saw the attendance of a wide range of end users from firefighters to experts in utilities and the oil and gas sector, to specialists from the manufacturing and processing industries. Also attending were a selection of garment manufacturers and landmark end-users such as BASF, Evonik, and the Paris Fire Brigade.
“This event marked a significant investment in our personal protective equipment business,” said Andrzej Palka, EMEA Marketing Manager of DuPont Personal Protection. “DuPont has made an investment of approximately $2 million in the development of this new Thermo-Man® burn-test unit, which will enable DuPont and our partners to test their heat-resistant clothing and other personal protective equipment, helping them to quickly bring out new and innovative products to meet market demands.
“Our ambitions for the PPE sector also extend beyond this investment, as we are bringing all our well-known market-leading brands including Nomex®, Tyvek®, Tychem® and Kevlar® into one business,” added Andrzej Palka. “In addition, we are making significant investments at our manufacturing facilities in Europe. In Luxembourg we are building a new line for the production of our innovative Tyvek® membrane technology, in Spain we continue to invest in Nomex® filament development and in Northern Ireland we have significant investments into digitization to make our site a smart factory.
Developed by DuPont, in conjunction with the US Air Force, this new Thermo-Man® is the world’s most advanced life-size thermal burn injury evaluation system. Designed to help the optimization of garment design for heat and flame protection, the system uses a test mannequin that employs skin model software to predict burn injuries. The system simulates a ‘worst-case scenario’ and has even become an industry standard: namely ISO13506, which specifies the overall requirements, equipment and calculation methods to provide results that can be used for evaluating the performance of complete garments or protective- clothing ensembles exposed to short-duration flame engulfment.
DuPont Hoods with Nomex® Nano Flex and Thermal Liners made with Nomex® Nano
DuPont Personal Protection, showcased the latest innovations in firefighter protection at their European Technical Centre, Geneva, during a PPE Seminar. These innovations made with Nomex®, a leading brand in FR protection include:
- Hoods made with Nomex® Nano Flex: helps prevent firefighters from being exposed to harmful contaminants without sacrificing comfort or breathability – this innovative solution lets air move through while blocking harmful particulates
- Thermal Liners made with Nomex® Nano: reduces bulk and weight of turnout gear without compromising protection and helps reduce heat stress
Nomex® Nano is engineered to be thinner than other advanced flame-resistant (FR) materials used for thermal liners. Providing up to a 40 percent reduction in thermal liner thickness, Nomex® Nano can reduce bulk in turnout gear and offers increased mobility and better range of motion for reduced heat stress without compromising thermal protection.
Nomex® Nano Flex is a highly breathable, FR material with exceptional elasticity and superior particle barrier performance. It can help make products like firefighter hoods more comfortable and more protective.
“Based on the Nomex® brand that has been trusted by firefighters around the world for more than 50 years, Nomex® Nano and Nomex® Nano Flex are not only the next generation of FR solutions from DuPont, they represent the future of turnout gear,” said Alfons Held, Global Market Leader Emergency Response “Nomex® Nano can help reduce heat stress, which now causes more firefighter injuries than any other single factor. And, Nomex® Nano Flex in fire fighter hoods, helps provide improved particle barrier protection in the neckline and upper jaw area that historically are known to be most vulnerable and least protected.”
DuPontTM Nomex® is known worldwide as the leading flame-resistant fiber. More than 4 million firefighters, as well as workers across the manufacturing, chemical, oil and gas industries, and emergency response and armed forces personnel, depend on its thermal protection to help keep them safe. It’s possible for Nomex® fiber to help enable protective apparel to have lower weight at a higher level of protection, breathability for reduced heat stress, and the ability to effectively wick away moisture.
For more information, go to www.dupont.com
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