A thorough explanation of the flame-retardant resin Olefista™

Many products essential to daily life, such as building materials, electronic equipment, automotive parts, and electrical wires and cables, require fire risk countermeasures. General-purpose polyolefin resins are inherently flammable, and common flame retardants often compromise moldability and mechanical properties. Therefore, achieving both flame retardancy and resin performance requires advanced technology. This article provides a clear explanation of flame-retardant resins, from the characteristics of Mitsubishi Chemical's Olefista™ to selection criteria for different applications.

What is flame-retardant resin?

Flame-retardant resins possess the property of resisting combustion when plastics are directly exposed to flames, a characteristic achieved through chemical reactions and physical mechanisms within the material. Flame-retardant grades, manufactured by compounding flame retardants into resins that are inherently flammable, are broadly classified into non-halogen and halogen types depending on the type of flame retardant used. Flame-retardant resins are widely used in environments with a high fire risk, such as building materials, electronic equipment, electrical wires and cables, and automotive parts, contributing to improved safety and compliance with legal regulations.

Mitsubishi Chemical's flame-retardant resin Olefista™

Mitsubishi Chemical's flame-retardant resin compound, Olefista™, is a high-performance flame-retardant resin compound based on polyolefin thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, blended with flame retardants. While general-purpose polyolefin resins like polyethylene are inherently flammable and difficult to flame-retardant, Mitsubishi Chemical has achieved high flame retardancy while maintaining mechanical properties and processability through advanced compounding technology. Olefista™ consists of three main series: non-halogen type, halogen type, and high-heat-resistant type, depending on the application and required performance.

Non-halogen flame retardants are mainly composed of phosphorus compounds and inorganic metal hydroxides, offering the advantages of producing less toxic and corrosive gases during combustion and having low smoke concentrations. The QU/QX 1000, 2000, and 3000 series are flame-retardant resin compounds (HFFR) that do not use halogen compounds in their composition. Other additives besides the flame retardant also do not contain halogen compounds.

Selection Criteria for Non-Halogen Type

The non-halogen type is suitable for the following applications:

• Use in enclosed spaces: environments with limited escape routes, such as underground facilities, tunnels, ships, and aircraft.

• Applications requiring environmental considerations: Regions with strict environmental regulations, customers demanding green procurement.

• Places where toxic gas emissions must be avoided: Public facilities such as hospitals, schools, and childcare facilities.

• Applications where low smoke emission is essential: Data centers, server rooms, movie theaters, and other environments where visibility is critical.

Halogenated flame retardants exhibit fire-extinguishing properties by trapping active oxygen through gasification of compounds containing bromine and chlorine during combustion. They offer superior flame retardancy compared to non-halogenated materials, achieving the highest level of flame retardancy, especially when used in combination with antimony oxide. The QU/QX 4000 series is a flame-retardant resin compound that uses halogen compounds in its formulation.

Selection Criteria for Halogen Types

Halogen type is suitable for the following applications:

• Applications requiring the highest level of flame retardancy: When strict flame retardancy standards such as UL94 V-0, V-1 are required.

• Environments where high heat resistance is essential: Engine rooms, high-temperature environments in industrial equipment

• Outdoor applications where low smoke emission is not required: Outdoor wiring, power lines, and other applications that are not in enclosed spaces.

• For mass production applications requiring cost optimization: When prioritizing a balance between flame retardancy and price.

The high-heat-resistant QX series is a flame-retardant cross-linked resin compound with excellent heat resistance, oil resistance, and chemical resistance, developed by combining Mitsubishi Chemical's silane cross-linked polyolefin modification technology and flame retardant compound technology. It is suitable for applications requiring harsh environments and long-term reliability, such as railway vehicles, solar power generation (PV) systems, and automotive wiring.

If you are looking for flame-retardant resin

Mitsubishi Chemical's Olefista™ is widely used in high-fire-risk environments such as building materials, electronic equipment, wires and cables, and automotive parts, contributing to improved safety and compliance with regulations. Through years of accumulated compounding and crosslinking technologies, we have achieved product development that balances flame retardancy, mechanical properties, and processability at a high level, and we can also customize products for special applications. If you are looking for flame-retardant resins, please contact us using the inquiry form below.