DSM’S XANTAR® C RESIN HELPS NEDTRAIN KEEP ROLLING STOCK ON TRACK WITH AFFORDABLE, ECO-RESPONSIBLE CLADDING

DSM Engineering Plastics recently announced that its XANTAR® C CE 407 resin allows NedTrain, a provider of train car maintenance and overhaul services, to supply state-of-the-art cladding systems for walls and ceilings in passenger coaches. The DSM resin not only provides aesthetic yet durable, and low-maintenance cladding systems, but also complies with strict flame, smoke and toxicity regulations. Further, XANTAR® C CE 407 resin is environmental friendly as it contains the newest flame retardant technology. Finally, this resin helped NedTrain achieve its goal of cost savings in both the production and maintenance of claddings.

“Our services to the Dutch railway (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), and other customers, require us to periodically replace cladding on the walls and ceilings of rail cars,” said Joop van Hillo, senior buyer for NedTrain. “We were looking for a better solution than traditional polyester RIM sheet that would be environmentally responsible and less expensive to manufacture. And of course, to reduce our maintenance costs, we wanted a material that would keep its attractive appearance even with heavy use. Working closely with DSM Engineering Plastics, we achieved a cladding system that met all of our requirements.”

To create the cladding, XANTAR® C CE 407 resin, a blend of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS), is co-extruded with a very thin top-layer of Polyvinylidene Difluoride (PVDF) and then thermoformed. PVDF acts as a protective layer enhancing easy cleaning of the cladding. Cladding for the ceiling features a sandwich construction with a layer of foam for sound dampening.

“DSM Engineering Plastics takes pride in providing value-added services to our customers,” said Jac Spijkers, Application Development Manager at Global Research & Technology. “We were involved from the very beginning of the project at NedTrain, including supporting the converters, thermoformers and system suppliers with various technical issues from design improvements to material handling. This collaboration resulted in a safe, durable and attractive cladding system.”

XANTAR® C CE 407 resin delivered specific benefits to NedTrain and its customers. The material meets the stringent flame, smoke, and toxicity requirements of DIN 5510-2 and has an F2 smoke toxicity rating according to NF F 16 101. Its state-of-the-art flame-retardant system is free of chlorinated and brominated additives in accordance with VDE 472 part 815.

XANTAR® C resin’s performance features include excellent dimensional stability, enabling the extruded sheets to fit together tightly when mounted so there is no annoying squeaking, rattling, or humming when the car is in motion. Superior chemical resistance helps to keep the cladding free from graffiti, as it is easy to clean and preserves its attractive surface finish.

The DSM resin also offers optimized processing: it is tuned for easy extrusion and vacuum forming. Due to its high thermal stability, a stable processing window is assured. Low outgassing and juicing mean less downtime to clean machinery, yielding longer production runs and less difficulties to maintain a healthy environment.

XANTAR® C CE 407 resin is commercially available in Europe.

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