Specialty chemicals and materials company Cytec Industrial Materials is introducing two new resin prepeg products for use in the manufacture of train exteriors and interiors.
The new materials, MTM348FR and XMTM30, meet the standards of EN45545-2:2013, the fire protection requirements for flammable liquid and gas installations on railway vehicles.
MTM348FR, in combination with glass or carbon fibre, can be used for making lightweight composite interior and exterior components of trains.
The versatile curing epoxy resin prepreg matrix meets the fire category HL2 standards.
XMTM30, made from a bio-renewable sustainable source, is used in the manufacture of non-structural interior components, and satisfies the requirements of category HL3.
When combined with natural fibres, XMTM30 produces a bio-sustainable system; Cytec plans to develop this new technology in partnership with other developers.
According to the company, the new materials can be used in railway wall panels, window frames, partitions, archways, floors, ceilings, standbacks, luggage racks, seats and doors.
Cytec rail market manager Richard Horn said: “We are very excited about the development of these two new products as they complement our existing phenolic and epoxy rail focussed prepregs.
“The key advantage of prepreg technology is that it enables the manufacture of lightweight complex monolithic sections and sandwich structures thereby offering weight saving and a reduction in running costs to the train operator.”
Cytec’s product portfolio includes tooling, fibre, prepregs, resin systems, vacuum bagging, and adhesive, resin and surfacing films, which help in the manufacture of composite materials.
The company’s two new products will be exhibited at the Railway Interiors Show to be held in Cologne from 12 to 14 November.