GE
Plastics
Great Opportunities
High performance, engineered materials
with unique properties for the Aircraft industry.
GE Plastics’ high-performance engineering resin and
sheet materials that are excellent candidates to help the
development of next-generation aircraft interior components.
Ultem* resin and Ultem sheet – an inherently flame-retardant (FR) material with low
smoke emission. Ultem resin and sheet grades for aircraft interior applications are not
only FAA compliant, but they also address application concerns, helping customers meet
stringent industry requirements such as TCO99, Blue Angel, White Swan, or EU regulations,
while meeting the fire safety criteria of Underwriters Laboratories (UL*), Inc.
Ultem 9075 and 9076 are amorphous thermoplastic polyetherimide (PEI) resins offer
excellent properties for interior applications, such as personal service units, retractable
video displays, window trim, and air valve panels. They are available in custom colors.
Ultem PEI sheet provides design flexibility, outstanding mechanical properties, and excellent
flame, smoke, and toxicity performance. Ultem 1668A sheet can be thermoformed,
pressure-formed, twin-sheet formed, or used in flat or cold-formed applications. In aircraft
interiors, this material is used to mold aircraft window reveals, air ducts, seating and flight
deck components, sealing components, galleys, stow bins, and sidewalls. Ultem 1668A
sheet meets commercial aircraft interior requirements, for FAA smoke and flammability
testing and toxicity standards BSS7239 and ABD0031, and has an OSU heat-release rate
below 65/65. This material is paintable and is available from GE in a range of colors.
Lexan* sheet - exceptionally tough material is based on GE’s Lexan polycarbonate (PC)
resin and meets the aircraft interiors industry’s standards to unmatched impact strength,
outstanding dimensional stability at elevated temperatures, aesthetics, high-heat, flame,
and UV resistance a broad color palette for a wide range of applications. Based on GE’s
tough, virtually unbreakable Lexan resin, this product can be drape and thermoformed in
complex 3-D shapes. Its low density of 1.2 g/m3 gives Lexan sheet a weight advantage of
over 15% versus PVC based materials.
Lexan F6000 sheet is very durable material and yet can be easily formed into complex
shapes by using standard thermoforming equipment. This material also provides high
impact resistance and high heat performance, and is available in custom colors.
Lexan F6000 sheet is an excellent candidate for seating components, a window track and
reveal, and an emergency door light fairing. Lexan MRAC sheet and Lexan FMR604 sheet
are optical-grade products with a proprietary hard coat for maximum service life.
These products are excellent potential choices for window covers, lens covers, and visors.
Lexan F2000/F2100 sheet and Lexan 9600 sheet are uncoated products for applications
such as signs and lighting covers.
Thermoplastic products certification overview
Test Method
Opaque Materials
Transparant Materials
60-second Vertical Burn
• JAR/FAR 25.853 Section (a), 1, (l)
• ABD0031 Para 6.1.1
Ultem 1668A/L sheet
Azdel* Superlite composite
Lexan F6000 sheet
Lexan Margard FMR604 sheet
Lexan Margard MRAC sheet
Lexan 9600 sheet
Lexan F2000 sheet
Heat Release
• JAR/FAR 25.853 Section (d)
Appendix Fm Part IV OSU65/65
• ABD0031 Para 6.2
Ultem 1668A/L sheet
Azdel Superlite composite
NBS Smoke Density
• JAR/FAR 25.853 Section (d))
• ABD0031 Para 6.3
Toxicity (PPM) @ 4 minutes
• ABD0031 AITM 3.0005
Ultem 1668A/L sheet
Azdel Superlite composite
Lexan F6000 sheet
Lexan F2000 sheet
Ultem 1668A/L sheet
Azdel Superlite composite
Lexan F6000 sheet
Lexan F2000 sheet
Beyond thermoplastics, GE Advanced
Materials also offers an impressive portfolio
of silicones, quartz, and ceramic products.
Silicone adhesives and sealants ― The ability to withstand
exposure to UV light, ozone, heat and cold, moisture, and
severe vibration is essential in many aircraft applications. GE
Advanced Materials’ silicone products, with their exceptional
resistance to stresses and harsh conditions, have long played
a major and growing role in commercial aircraft environments.
GE’s silicone adhesives and sealants are excellent candidates
for use in to seal and protect doors, wings, fuel tanks, wing
edges, vent ducts, electrical wiring, and black boxes from
the elements. They help to seal passenger window assembly
units and help to absorb noise-producing vibration. They
are also excellent materials of choice for using in galleys to
seal countertops and maintain cleanliness. Because these
products are inert, silicone sealants are effective for sealing
air circulation ducts throughout the entire aircraft cabin.
Silicone sealants, potting gels, and encapsulants are used in
on-board aircraft computers to protect delicate electronic
components. GE silicone products also help seal light lenses
inside and outside the plane and help protect hydraulic
switches and controls.
Two high-strength silicone adhesive sealants – GE RTV157 and
RTV159 sealants – one-component, ready-to-use materials cure
to tough, resilient silicone rubber on exposure to atmospheric
moisture at room temperature. RTV157 and RTV159 sealants
offer excellent weatherability and resistance to degradation from
exposure to ozone and chemicals.
Quartz and ceramic materials ― GE Advanced Materials’
quartz and ceramic materials are excellent candidates for
use in several aircraft applications. GE boron nitride (BN), for
example, is used in powdered metal composites as a friction
modifier for aircraft brake pads. The material helps to maintain
sliding friction with reduced noise and vibration. GE boron
nitride also helps to create abradable seals that are applied to
engine casings for correcting clearances that are difficult to
achieve mechanically. For applications like this, BN powder is
sprayed onto the engine housing to form a seal that is worn in
by the blade rotation during service. High-performance quartz
tubing from GE Advanced Materials is used in high-end lighting
applications such as aircraft landing lights.
Current thermoplastics material overview
Type
Color
Grade s
Key Features ()
Typical Applications
Sheet
Transparant/Translucent
Lexan Margard MRAC sheet
Lexan Margard MRAC sheet
Anti Abrasion
Window shades
Display Covers
Lexan F2000 sheet
Lexan 9600 sheet
Translucent Colors
Formable
Textured Surfaces
Many Colors
Complex Part Shapes
Pass OSU6565 HR
Chemical Resistance
Pass OSU6565 HR
Paint-out, in-colored resin
High Stifness parts
Opaque
Lexan F6000 sheet
Ultem 1668A sheet
Resin
Ultem 9075 resin
Ultem 2300 resin
(Formable) Hard Coating (FMR604)
Light Diffusers, signs
Display Covers
Seat parts, table trays,
Cockpit panels
Fuselage interior parts
Seat parts
Air-conditioning ducts
Light holders, general interior parts
Interior cabin components
Thin wall Moldings
s Only a selection of product overview
For flammability performance please look into inside of this flyer
Preview for new, soon-to-be-announced materials for aircraft interiors
Ultem 1668L sheet: This recently developed material is a
derivative from Ultem 1668A sheet, targeted specifically
towards first class and business class seats. It retains an
excellent low gloss surface at complex part geometries.
The material provides over 10% weight savings versus PVC
based sheet materials and passes the OSU6565 heat release
test and toxicity standards.
Azdel Superlite composites: Azdel composite with Ultem resin
will be a new thermoformable, lightweight composite sheet with
excellent flame, smoke, toxicity, and heat-release performance
in large semi-structural panels. Comprised of long glass fibers
bonded by GE Plastics’ Ultem resin, Azdel composite will will
help enablesturdy, lightweight components with approximately
half of the specific gravity as lower performing composite
materials. Potential applications include interior panels, window
frames, ceilings, and other large interior parts. This material is
currently under trial at the key validation customers.
Colors & coextrusion: GE continues to develop new colors for
the aviation industry. Recent developments in Lexan F6000
sheet include metallic effects.
Call for more information:
GE Plastics’ three Customer Innovation Centers in Selkirk (NY,
USA), Bergen op Zoom (The Netherlands) and Shanghai (China)
can offer over 5,000 color , material combinations. The recently
developed, white/black two layer co-extruded Lexan F5000
sheet is an excellent candidate for window shade applications
Ultem films: Recently launched Ultem films are available in
gauges from 50µm to 500µm. These films are an excellent
candidate for a variety of electrical and electronics applications
like flexible heaters, cable insulation, and insulation tapes.
When metal plated, Ultem film can be used in parts where EMI
shielding is required.
Ultem fibers: These fibers are based on Ultem resin which can
be spun into fiber by melt spinning or can be converted as a
solvent spun hollow fiber or membrane. Because the threads
are amorphous, this product has a significantly higher glass
transition temperature (215o C) than that of traditional fibers
of materials such as PPS or PEEK which are semicyrstalline.
Ultem fibers can be an excellent candidate for carpeting and
seating fabrics, fire-block layers and insulation blankets.
Europe:
Pacific:
US Toll free:
(31) (164) 292742
(86) 21 6288 1088
1 - 800 451 3147
Visit us at:
E-mail: gelit@ge.com
geplastics.com
Disclaimer : THE MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS OF THE BUSINESSES MAKING UP THE GE PLASTICS UNIT OF GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND AFFILIATES (“GEP”), ARE SOLD SUBJECT TO GEP’ S
STANDARD CONDITIONS OF SALE, WHICH ARE INCLUDED IN THE APPLICABLE DISTRIBUTOR OR OTHER SALES AGREEMENT, PRINTED ON THE BACK OF ORDER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND INVOICES, AND AVAILABLE
UPON REQUEST. ALTHOUGH ANY INFORMATION, RECOMMENDATIONS, OR ADVICE CONTAINED HEREIN IS GIVEN IN GOOD FAITH, GEP MAKES NO WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, (I) THAT THE
RESULTS DESCRIBED HEREIN WILL BE OBTAINED UNDER END-USE CONDITIONS, OR (II) AS TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OR SAFETY OF ANY DESIGN INCORPORATING GEP MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, RECOMMENDATIONS
OR ADVICE. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN GEP’ S STANDARD CONDITIONS OF SALE, GEP AND ITS REPRESENTATIVES SHALL IN NO EVENT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS RESULTING FROM ANY USE OF ITS MATERIALS
OR PRODUCTS DESCRIBED HEREIN. Each user bears full responsibility for making its own determination as to the suitability of GEP’ s materials, products, recommendations, or advice for its own particular use.
Each user must identify and perform all tests and analyses necessary to assure that its finished parts incorporating GEP materials or products will be safe and suitable for use under end-use conditions. Nothing
in this or any other document, nor any oral recommendation or advice, shall be deemed to alter, vary, supersede, or waive any provision of GEP’ s Standard Conditions of Sale or this Disclaimer, unless any such
modification is specifically agreed to in a writing signed by GEP. No statement contained herein concerning a possible or suggested use of any material, product or design is intended, or should be construed, to
grant any license under any patent or other intellectual property right of General Electric Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates covering such use or design, or as a recommendation for the use of such
material, product or design in the infringement of any patent or other intellectual property right
*Ultem, Lexan and Margard are trademarks of General Electric Company.
*Azdel and Superlite are trademark of Azdel Inc., a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric Company and PPG Industries.
© 2006 General Electric Company. All Rights Reserved.
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