Kick-off for major fire retardant conference
Last week, a kick-off meeting for the European Coatings Fire Forum took place in Germany with major influencers from academia and industry. The meetings' goal was to identify major trends and challenges for the fire retardant coatings industry.
Manufacturers of fire retardant coatings a facing new challenges. This was a key finding of last week’s meeting, that took place at the European Coatings Show in Nuremberg, Germany. Over a dozen experts made use of the opportunity to exchange opinions and swap ideas with each other. Experts like Waldemar Weisheim, a member of the working group of Professor Peter Schaumann at the University Hannover, discussed current developments and challenges for the fire retardant coatings community.
Regulations for fire retardant coatings
It did not take long before it became evident that the topic of regulation is currently the major topic for the industry. According to new European regulations like the ETAG no. 018/ Part 2 the operational reliability of fire retardant coatings has to be reviewed after 10 years. However, it is not clear, how this will be handled practically. Once the coating is applied it is often not accessible very easily. Most experts agreed that especially the testing institutes have to deliver practical solutions.
This meeting was only the first step. In a few months the European Coatings Fire Forum will be held in Berlin, where a large group of leading experts will discuss not only regulations, but also new technical developments in fire retardant coatings. In addition to Prof. Schaumann from Hannover University Dr Philippe Salemis from the CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council) will hold a lecture. Besides regulatory issues, the Forum will also present newest technological innovations for fire retardant coatings.
