PRODUCTS & S ER V ICES
Boltaron
thermoplastics
meet the
requirements of
FAR 25.853
059
NOW TRENDING
Boltaron is creating eco-friendly, long-lasting and lightweight
performance plastic for the aircraft interiors industry
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
JUNE 2019
educing aircraft cabin weight
to minimize fuel consumption
is not a new topic; however,
R
the push for airlines to become more
environmentally friendly and fuelefficient
remains strong.
One area where there is room for
more development and opportunity is
in aircraft interior components. Aircraft
Interior components must meet FAA
compliance for performance and safety,
however there is some leniency in
adaptations, depending on the area
of use.
For aircraft carriers, the focus is on
finding opportunities to use lightweight
plastic to replace metal, aluminum, or
even a heavier plastic material, without
compromising performance or safety.
Depending on where the component
is used, it can have several code
requirements such as impact strength
standards or fire-retardant ranges that
must be met. For example, the weight
of thermoformed seat shells in six
aircraft seats using Boltaron 4330L
would be equivalent to the weight of
thermoformed seat shells in five seats
using standard FAR materials.
Lighter aircraft use less fuel, which
opens up endless opportunities for
new routes with fewer stop-overs and
greater cost savings.
Performance cannot be compromised
when designing lighter-weight material
for interior components. Thermoplastics
for seatbacks, tray tables and IFE bezels
are nearly half the weight of the metal
versions. In many cases, performance
plastics that replace other materials
outlive the life of the aircraft itself.
When altering material chemistry,
many performance requirements need
to be met. Some notable performance
requirements are: outstanding flame,
smoke and toxicity characteristics (must
One concern when replacing
traditional component materials with
lightweight performance plastics is that
new components will not convey top
quality to passengers, or may negatively
influence the inflight experience.
In fact, fabricators are finding new
ways to enhance the aesthetics of
high-performance plastics through
thermoforming and other techniques
and tools. Boltaron’s 4330L, for example,
is a thermoplastic sheet that meets
FAR 25.853 (a) with a 20% reduction
in weight compared with standard
thermoplastics. This provides limitless
ways for designers to bring their
dreams to life.
meet the flammability, smoke and heatrelease
requirements of FAR 25.853 (a)
and (d); high temperature resistance;
superior resistance to impact, vibration
and abrasion; and UV, chemical and
scratch resistance.
The environmental aspect of
producing lighter-weight options for
aircraft interior components includes
a standardization process. When design
engineers can source components for
use across a variety of applications in
the aircraft cabin, the new product
design process is less costly.
Also, aerospace OEMs are recognizing
the value of investing in production
tooling for lower overall program costs.
The product validation process can be
reduced with a standardized mechanism,
which OEMs are realizing as they look for
new ways to use one solution for multiple
aircraft interior components.
FREE READER ENQUIRY SERVICE
To request more details from Boltaron,
visit www.magupdate.co.uk/paii
103
SEVERAL COLORS AND FINISHES OF
THERMOPLASTICS ARE AVAILABLE
TO CREATE LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGHQUALITY
DESIGNS
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
/paii