BASF Collaborates with Domestic Parts Manufacturers to Jointly Develop Flame-Retardant Material for Train Handrails

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Global chemical company BASF has jointly developed subway handrails made from 'Elastollan' material with a domestic railway vehicle parts manufacturer. Elastollan material is a flame-retardant material that does not easily burn even in the event of a fire.

BASF announced that subway handrails applying Elastollan® thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material will be used in domestic subways. BASF developed the Elastollan TPU material together with 'Kohama,' a domestic railway vehicle parts manufacturer. Kohama's handrails have also been applied to subways exported to Taiwan and Egypt.

The newly developed Elastollan (1185A 10 HFFR) material not only meets industry standards according to UL94 V0 flame-retardant certification, unlike polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but also possesses low smoke and low toxicity that satisfy the railway vehicle flame-retardant performance test (EN45545-2). Additionally, thanks to its soft texture considering passenger convenience, unique flexibility, and material durability, it can be widely used in other railway transportation and aerospace fields.

Desmond Long, Head of Transportation Business, Performance Materials Division, BASF Asia-Pacific, stated, "BASF's advanced TPU technology is already widely used in wires and cables inside automobiles and electronic devices," and emphasized, "We expect BASF's position in the public transportation market to be strengthened."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.