Flame-retardant PET film costs one-tenth that of polyimide equivalent; LED lighting targeted

Teijin DuPont Films Japan Limited (Tokyo) has developed a PET film offering flame retardance equivalent to UL VTM-0 that reportedly costs up to 90% less than polyimide (PI) film.

Teijin  Tetoron UF film employs Teijin's proprietary non-halogenated flame-retardant and also reportedly delivers the inherent heat resistance, chemical resistance and strength of conventional PET film.

Parent company Teijin is currently developing applications that require UF film's high flame retardance, including insulating materials and labels for electronic products, such as office equipment, computers and lighting, and substrates for flexible displays. Targeting markets in Asia, Europe and the Americas, the goal is to achieve revenue of JPY5 billion ($49 million) in the fiscal year ending in March 2017.

UF technology is also being considered for use in other Teijin products and technologies, for example, to develop flame-retardant PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) film by applying advanced flame-retardant technologies. High flame retardance has become a requirement for insulation and structural parts used in LED lighting and electronic products. UF grades also have high reflectance performance which will help to increase the brightness of LED lighting.

Conventional films fabricated from PI offer extremely high flame retardance at the VTM-0 level, but they are very costly. Although PET films are highly resistant to heat and chemicals, and cost competitive, their flame retardance is typically at the VTM-2 level.

Consequently, until now PET films have been used only in a limited range of electronics requiring flame retardance, such as mobile devices. Although it has been possible to produce PET films with flame retardance above the VTM-2 level, these films require the use of halogenated flame-retardant additives and flame-retardant coatings, leading to higher costs and increased environmental burdens.