Why use melamine based FR ?

Melamine based flame retardants represent a small but fast growing segment in the flame retardant market. These products offer particular advantages over existing flame retardants:

• Cost effectiveness
• Low smoke density and toxicity
• Low corrosion
• Safe handling
• Environmental friendliness

In this Flame Retardants Center, we offer you:

• A general description of pure melamine, melamine derivatives and melamine homologues.
• Details about the mode of action of Melamine FR
• An overview of the main benefits of Melamine FR
• A list of applications of melamine based flame retardant, to choose the right melamine FR
• A guideline for starting formulation by polymers

In this family of non-halogenated flame retardants, three chemical groups can be distinguished; pure melamine, melamine derivatives, i.e. salts with organic or inorganic acids such as boric acid, cyanuric acid, phosphoric acid or pyro/poly-phosphoric acid, and melamine homologues such as melam, melem and melon. The latter finding only experimental use at this stage.

Melamine based flame retardants show excellent flame retardant properties and versatility in use because of their ability to employ various modes of flame retardant action.

FR Mechanism	Melamine derivatives	Halogen/ Antimony	Organo phosphorus	Metalhydroxides
Chemical interference
Heat sink
Char formation
Intumescence
Inert gaz
heat transfert (dripping)

Currently, main areas of application for melamine based flame retardants are flexible polyurethane foams, intumescent coatings, polyamides and thermoplastic polyurethanes. Through continued research and application development work, the market for melamine based flame retardants will further expand in the near future, f.i. in the direction of polyolefins and thermoplastic polyesters.