Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

China/Germany/US: The Mannheim Court in Germany has found that Chinese companies Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech and Nano Tech infringed one of Aspen Aerogels’ European patents by selling infringing aerogel insulation products. As part of the judgments, the Mannheim Court issued injunctions prohibiting the offer, distribution, use or import of infringing products in Germany and held Nano and Alison liable to Aspen Aerogels for damages, court costs and some of Aspen's legal fees and expenses. The Mannheim Court's decision is subject to an appeal to the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe. In a related lawsuit, the Mannheim Court had previously issued a series of judgments against Hiltex Techniche Weefsels, a Dutch reseller of the infringing Chinese aerogels.

In addition, the German Federal Patent Court in Munich found the Aspen patent to be valid as granted in a patent nullity action initiated by Nano. The Munich Court's decision follows other unsuccessful challenges to the validity of Aspen's patents by Nano and Alison in the US and China.

"Our core strategy is to invest in the research, development, commercialisation and protection of our aerogel technology platform worldwide. These European patent wins, along with our 2018 victory at the US International Trade Commission, reinforce the scope and strength of Aspen's patent portfolio," said Don Young, President and chief executive officer (CEO) of Aspen Aerogels.

UK: Knauf Insulation’s Earthwool RainScreen Slab product has been certified by the British Board of Agrément (BBA) for use in high-rise residential applications. The BBA certification follows the December 2018 update to Approved Document B, which mandates the use of non-combustible materials achieving a Euroclass Reaction to Fire Classification of A1 or A2 s1-d0 in the external walls of certain buildings over 18m in height.

“Non-combustible insulation is the best choice for architects, specifiers and contractors as it will not contribute to the development or spread of fire” said Steve Smith, Head of Product Management and Business Intelligence at Knauf Insulation.

Australia: Kingspan Insulation is preparing to discontinue its Kooltherm K10 FM Soffit Board rigid insulation product ahead of changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) set to be enforced on 1 May 2019. The standard introduced in 2016, AS 5637, requires foil faced internal lining materials to be installed on both walls and ceiling when undertaking the full-scale room fire test ISO 9705.

To prepare for the change Kingspan will promote its Kooltherm K10 FM G2 Soffit Board product. It features a thicker foil lining and has already undergone the ISO 9705 test, achieving a Group 2 rating. The product has been supplied to the New Zealand market and it will now be launched in Australia.

“Kingspan Insulation have been preparing for this transition for some time. We are confident in our ability to supply a product that will not only adhere to the new NCC standard but will also provide the same great thermal performance that our customers have come to expect from us,” said Kingspan Insulation’s Sales Director, Craig Burr.

Germany: Evonik’s Calostat insulation product has received an environmental product declaration (EPD) from the Institut für Bauen und Umwelt (IBU). The EPD takes into account the entire production process, from manufacture of precursors, their transport, production of Calostat and the option of recycling the material.

Calostat is a non-combustible thermal insulation material based on silicon dioxide.

It is a class A (non-combustible) building material with a thermal conductivity λ of 0.019 W/(mK). It does not absorb liquid water but is permeable to water vapour. Other distinguishing features are its compressive strength of ≥ 90 kPa and gross density of 165kg/m³. It contains no fungicides, algicides, pesticides, binding agents, or flame-retardants. Notably, the manufacturer also says that the product can be recycled.

US: Thermoseal has launched three new spray foam insulation products: Thermoseal 360, Thermoseal 800 and Thermoseal One. Thermoseal 360 is an ultra-high yield open cell spray foam insulation. Thermoseal 800 is a new ultra-high R-value open cell spray foam. Thermoseal One is an ultra-high yield, ultra high R-value, one pass, closed cell spray foam insulation. Thermoseal One has also passed the Hurricane Wind Uplift test, which means it is approved for use in Hurricane zones across the US.

Thermoseal manufactures polyurethane spray foam insulation, roofing, and other similar products for the residential, commercial and industrial construction industry.

Belgium: Recticel is promoting its Du.Panel X polyurethane panel product for the agricultural sector. It offers a lambda value of 0.020W/mK for panel thicknesses of 40 – 120mm and fire resistance with Euroclass B-s2,d0. The product is intended for using in livestock buildings and stables. It joins other agricultural products including Powerline, Cronus and Eurothane.

US: Owens Corning has launched a formaldehyde-free perimeter fire containment system product in North America. The offering uses Thermafiber Firespan and Safing mineral wool insulation products to deliver fire resistance performance to help commercial architects, specifiers and contractors. The system is available for specification now and will be on sale later in 2018.

“As a pioneer in fire safety, we know the perimeter in a commercial structure is one of the most complex areas where fire can spread and where building professionals face high-stakes design scenarios,” said Carmelo Carrubba, Owens Corning’s insulation strategic marketing vice president.

Owens Corning says that Thermafiber mineral wool insulation products have been installed in eight of the 20 tallest buildings in the world including the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, UAE. The insulation producer is also promoting the sustainability credentials of its product through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits for specific commercial and residential applications and its certification for a minimum 70% recycled content by the ICC-ES.

Belgium: Huntsman Polyurethanes has launched its DaltoPIR XHFR product for composite panels. The polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation product was introduced at a panels and profile conference in Greece.

The product uses DaltoPIR insulation technology to offer a different viscosity build up in rising foam. The company says that this enables more stable and more consistent processing, which in turn can help panel producers achieve better panel planarity and quicker line speed. The resulting foam has very low friability, which Huntsman says contributes to the long-term properties of the panels.

US: Demilec has been awarded the 2018 Polyurethane Innovation Award at Polyurethanes Technical Conference in Atlanta by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). It won for its Heatlok HFO product, a two component, closed cell, spray applied, rigid polyurethane foam system. Other finalists included ICL-IP America, for its VeriQuelR100 phosphorus-based, reactive flame retardant product, and SWD Urethane, for its Quik-Shield 108YM open-cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation product.

US: Johns Manville has launched Cavity-Shield, a formaldehyde-free fibreglass batt insulation product intended for use in the concealed spaces of multifamily buildings. The National Fire Protection Association-approved product is being marketed as an alternative solution to sprinklers in the interstitial space. The batts are designed to serve as a passive fire solution for limiting potential flame spread between and through floors. It is also intended to reduce construction costs by reducing the time and resources required for installers to complete the job.