Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) has launched two Lexan polycarbonate sheet solutions for aircraft interiors.

 

The innovative, new offerings – clear Lexan XHR2000 sheet and Lexan Light F6L300 sheet, will help provide long awaited solutions to airlines’ quest for differentiated cabin interior designs while also helping to take out significant weight, resulting in a more fuel efficient aircraft, said a statement.

 

The design engineers will benefit from these lightweight, durable materials which can help to reduce system costs, offer ease of fabrication and comply with the industry’s strict regulatory standards, it said.

 

Kim Choate, marketing director, Mass Transportation for Sabic’s Innovative Plastic business, said: “Sabic understands the need for its aircraft interior customers to not only stay ahead of design trends, but also to meet the demand for lighter weight aircraft interior components that can help improve overall fuel efficiency of the aircraft. 

 

“Sabic’s durable, lightweight Lexan XHR2000 and Lexan Light F6L300 sheet solutions are market-first solutions, created to help our customers remain at the forefront of innovation in this exciting environment where aesthetics, safety and sustainability are all critical.”

 

The Lexan XHR2000 sheet facilitates the design of large components such as security partitions and oversized windows, which are becoming increasingly popular in top deck designs. Additionally, it enables future innovation, helping designers find answers to unmet needs, such as the evolution of self-service refreshment stations on aircraft which require large transparent windows so that passengers can see what is available. 

 

Other potential applications include partitions, dust covers, instrument displays, entertainment screen partitions and divider panels, galley equipment panels, protective panels, stairs/railing panels, barriers, windows, mirrors, lighting lenses, door and refrigeration systems and printed, custom laminated applications that require transparent/translucent graphic designs.

 

The new patent-pending high performance Lexan Light F6L300 sheet is the lightest thermoplastic sheet option available regardless of base material that complies with flame, smoke and OEM toxicity. 

 

The sheets meet typical industry flame, smoke density and toxicity requirements.  On average, an aircraft will burn about 0.03 kg of fuel per hour for each kg carried on board. Given that the total commercial fleet flies approximately 57 million hours per year, cutting just one kg per flight would save roughly 1,700 tonnes of fuel and 5,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

 

By using Lexan Light sheet to replace high-toxicity PVC/PMMA products on seating frames can help reduce weight by approximately 121.6kg based on an aircraft with average of 190 seats, which can help the total commercial fleet save roughly 206,720 tonnes of fuel and 656,640 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

 

This potential savings is due to Lexan Light sheet’s innovative closed cell structure, which can be thermoformed into complex 3D shaped parts with very thin walls, down to 0.6 mm, offering substantial potential for overall weight savings and fuel efficiency across an airline fleet. - TradeArabia News Service