Everything You Need to Know About the NFPA 286 Test for Testing Materials with Fire

National fire protection association, or NFPA for short, offers many kinds of tests for fire testing and material compatibility with fires. NFPA specifies different codes for different kinds of tests and the areas of evaluation are for standards of building materials, electronics and other burn-able materials.

The NFPA 286 test is one of the many fire standard tests that specifically check if the material is affected by fire or not, and how much is affected. This test is assigned for interior wall partitions, ceilings, floors and generally anything that is constructed for indoors. This standard is useful in determining what areas of a room contribute to the growth of a fire if any, and how fast the fire spreads due to these materials. This test is also known as a room corner test.

NFPA 286 was introduced to determine which materials help fires spread faster and which materials restrict the growth of a fire. While most of the materials used indoors burn, the rate at which they burn varies greatly. For example, a wooden wall partition burns and so does steel, but the former burns at a much faster rate than the latter. In fact, steel won’t start burning unless the temperature is extremely high, close to the melting point of steel.

This test help evaluate how protected the building will be in case of a fire. Suppose a flammable material is being used indoors, such as paper-based wallpapers and simple plastic wall partitions. Those will catch fire faster, and it will result in fire moving next door at a much faster rate. This means by the time firefighters arrive at the scene, a lot of damage will have already occurred. But if a material that does not burn fast is present, say concrete, specialized wall dividers or non-flammable wallpapers, then the rate of spread of fire will be very less. By the time firefighters arrive at the location, the fire will have been restricted only to a few areas, making their work easier and keeping damage to a minimum.

Most manufacturers who manufacture and sell the indoor building items such as tiles, plasters, wall dividers, and wallpapers often get their products tested under NFPA 286 to assure building safety protocols are put in place. While they are mostly used in commercial spaces, homeowners can also get NFPA 286 accredited materials installed in their homes.

Common Differences between Thermoplastic Solutions and Thermosetting Plastic

The word ‘thermo’ is common to both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic variants, so it is easy to mistake one for another. In fact, similar names make it seem like these are just slight variants of each other, but in reality, the properties of thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic are very, very different; so much that not all thermoplastic suppliers deal with thermosetting variants. Some deal with only thermoplastic solutions, whereas many deal with both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic solutions.

The process of initial manufacture is almost the same, but that is where the similarities end. The best way is to list out their distinctive pros and cons that will give you a better idea of the things that differentiate them, starting with Thermoplastic.

Thermoplastic

Thermoplastic is made of plastic pallets which are heated in a furnace. Heat applied to these plastic pellets is increased over time, until the pellets melt completely. The melted plastic is made into the plastic sheet, also called a thermoplastic sheet. These sheets, when warm, are pressed onto specific molds as required to transform them into desired products. There is no chemical bonding during the manufacturing process, allowing manufacturers to reuse the excess left out plastic for the next batches.

Major Advantages:

Recyclable: A product made of thermoplastic can be recycled to make a different product.

Strong: They have high strength and good resistance against impacts.

Better Finish: Thermoplastics offer better finishing quality than thermosetting plastics.

Chemical Resistant: They are resistant to common chemicals and some acids.

Reshaping Ability: The finished product can be reheated and reshaped to any other shape.

Major Disadvantages:

Low Melting Point: Products made of thermoplastic can easily melt under high temperatures.

Expensive: The raw pellets of plastic used to make thermoplastic are quite expensive.

Thermosetting Plastic

Thermosetting plastic is made from a different kind of plastic polymer. After undergoing heating and melting, they get fixated in the same shape as they are molded into when they cool off, unlike thermoplastic that can be reshaped. That is why a different process known as reaction injection molding process is used to set these into desired molds. The chemical bonds formed are permanent and cannot be broken.

Major Advantages:

Temperature Resistant: They cannot melt as easily as thermoplastic at high temperatures.

Flexibility: They can be used for any kind of molds as the plastic is used in liquid form when injecting to molds.

Better Stability: Thermosetting plastic is highly stable and stronger than thermoplastic.

Inexpensive: They are cheaper than thermoplastics.

Major Disadvantages:

Not Recyclable.

Poor Surface Finish.

It cannot be Reshaped like Thermoplastics.

Choosing the Right Thermoplastic Component for Your Product

If you have just stepped into the world of manufacturing and have a viable design with decent demand in the market, the chances are that you are looking forward to finding the correct component for the product. You might lay your experience in the hands of a person who has previous experience on the job or turn the table by doing some extensive research online as well as in the market. Most of the viable products that give you a decent return on the manufacturing are formulated with the thermoplastic. However, given the different rates of thermoplastic, you might want to choose the one that fits the bill entirely and gives you as well as end consumers an ultimate level of satisfaction.

Here are the factors that you must consider in the making of the design:

Temperature resistance: Since we all know the property of the polymer that helps it to get into the liquid state, the temperature of the product (usage-based) should be kept in mind. The temperature at which your end the product will operate will help you decide the exact type of polymer that you need. Even if you do not get on to the specific model, you will be able to narrow it down to a large extent. For a temperature resistance of over 150C, then you’ll need to choose a high-performance plastic, such as PVDF.

Budget: Thermoplastic suppliers suggest that polymers get into a liquid state when given the right amount and heat and then come back to stable on average temperature. It helps in providing these polymers some molding capacity. The stronger and more temperature resistant you want your polymer to be, the higher will be the cost of buying out the polymer for making the design. Hence, you must consider keeping the budget and the related factors in mind for taking out the affective investment cost in the manufacturing unit. 

Strength of plastic: Depending upon the usage of the product, they can be broadly classified into two types functional and aesthetic products. The purely aesthetic ones can easily be used in a lower grade, and they do not have to undergo wear and tear in the daily course. Other thermoplastic solutions should be carefully chosen, especially if they are to be exposed to heat in a certain way. It other words, the amorphous plastic is used for products that provide aesthetic value, and others like the nylon are the best choice for polymers that need to deliver the functional capability.

Electrical and COF properties: The polymers and related products that are built for an automotive and mechanical function should have electrical resistance to a certain extent, as well. It helps in increasing the the longevity of the product.