I. Overall situation of the industry
Driven by the 12th Five-Year Plan, China's home appliance industry has achieved a transformation and upgrading, transforming from a smart home appliance manufacturing nation to a smart home appliance manufacturing nation, where new materials, new technologies, and new energy applications are critical. The appearance smoothness and rigidity requirements are mainly applied to ABS (styrene-butadiene-acrylonitrile polymer) and HIPS (impact polystyrene) materials. In many applications with safety fire protection requirements , Such as TV enclosures, washing machine motor enclosures, etc., flame-retardant ABS, HIPS is widely used to meet the performance requirements of home appliance parts for flame retardant and fire prevention. However, these two materials have two shortcomings: First, the price is high , Due to the diverse raw materials used in the synthesis of ABS and HIPS, as well as the more complex synthesis methods and processes, resulting in higher resin raw material prices; second, yellowing resistance and anti-aging properties in general, ABS and HIPS resins are limited by the material structure and used for a long time. The yellowing and aging of Chinese materials will affect the use of materials, especially in light-colored household appliances.
With the increasingly fierce competition in the home appliance industry, home appliance manufacturers are increasingly demanding performance requirements and costs for materials. PP materials have advantages such as low price, excellent yellowing resistance and aging resistance, and good molding processability. Gradually get the favor of manufacturers.
Second, flame retardant PP market distribution
From the regional distribution, China's current flame-retardant PP production enterprises are mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta region and the Pearl River Delta region. The data show that these two regions account for about 85% of the national total of flame-retardant PP production.
Although domestic fire-retardant PP production technology still has a certain degree of scale in comparison with foreign countries, compared with foreign production companies, domestic companies are still relatively backward in terms of product stability, product added value, etc. However, The domestic modified plastics industry is developing rapidly. Especially for the technology-based enterprises represented by Jinhan, the development level of its flame retardant technology is at the forefront of the domestic industry, especially in the technology research and development of flame-retardant PP, and the market scale has gradually approached even Catch up with similar foreign companies.
Third, the performance requirements of flame retardant PP used in home appliances
Flame-retardant PP is mainly applied to black household appliances, because white goods have high requirements for aesthetics, and flame-retardant PP performance in this area is still not ideal. Flame-retardant PP has the advantages of easy processing, low price, and is widely used in some pairs. Material performance requirements are not high, especially components with general requirements for heat resistance, such as terminal blocks in computer cases, wall switches, etc., flame-retardant PP materials can better meet product requirements while reducing production costs. It is also because In this way, flame-retardant PP has a wide range of applications in motors, bobbin coils, etc. The following describes the performance requirements of several types of flame-retardant PP materials used in home appliances.
1.Washing machine motor housing
The motor housing inside the washing machine is mainly used for the fixed protection of the motor of the washing machine. During the process of high-speed dehydration of the washing machine, some parts may generate sparks due to vibration and friction. For the safer operation of the motor, many manufacturers The flame retardant requirements of the housing materials are presented. To this end, Jinhan has developed flame-retardant PP products that meet the requirements of home appliance companies. The test data are shown in Table 1.
2. Home appliance socket
The home appliance socket switch belongs to the category of small household appliances. The socket of the home appliance socket and the terminal that functions as the connection are made of fire-retardant materials. According to the current standards for building residential buildings, the demand for the socket for houses is about 800 million.
In order to increase the price competitiveness of domestic socket enterprises, they gradually started using flame-retardant PP instead of flame-retardant ABS to make home socket housings. The gold-antimony flame-retardant PP satisfies the performance requirements of socket enterprises on materials, and is applied to the flame retardant of socket parts. The PP product test indicators are shown in Table 2.
As can be seen from Table 3, on the premise of satisfying the performance requirements of the product, compared with the flame-retardant ABS material, the flame-retardant PP material is reduced by 20% in weight and 37% in cost. It is based on this significant advantage that currently Lightweight, cost-effective flame-retardant PP products have replaced most of the traditional flame-retardant ABS products.
Air conditioning shell
Fig.1 Comparison of the retention of flexural strength after flame retardant PP and flame retardant ABS
Household air-conditioner indoor unit casing, the traditional material selection is generally HIPS or ABS, but in recent years there has been gradual replacement of aging PP material alternatives. As consumers continue to improve the safety requirements of indoor appliances, many air-conditioning companies The use of flame-retardant PP as the material for the housing of the indoor unit began. In addition to the basic performance and flame-retardant performance requirements of the air-conditioning enclosure, the flame-retardant PP also has obvious advantages in terms of anti-aging properties compared to flame-retardant ABS and other materials.
Fourth, the direction of modification of flame retardant PP
1. Low-halogen, low-smoke and environment-friendly flame-retardant PP
Halogen-based flame-retardant PP materials account for about 70 to 80% of the market share of flame-retardant materials. Due to its low price and stable flame-retardant effect, it is currently difficult to find alternatives in most home appliance applications. Therefore, for a long time to come, Halogen-based flame-retardant PP will remain the main flame-retardant material. At the same time, as more and more new and efficient halogen-based flame retardants are successfully developed, they provide technology for the development of low-halogen, low-smoke and environmentally friendly flame-retardant PP. Safeguard. In the future, low-halogen, low-smoke and environmentally-friendly flame-retardant PP will become a key research and development direction for material manufacturers.
2. Halogen-free flame retardant PP
With the introduction of the ROHS Regulations by the European Union, many companies in the world have banned or restricted the use of certain materials contained in materials. In response to this situation, halogen-free flame retardant PP has become a hot topic in the industry, but halogen-free. The price of flame retardant is still high, and the problem of high development costs remains to be solved.
3. Anti-aging, high gloss
Because PP contains unstable structural groups, it is prone to aging and degradation due to light, heat, and oxygen, resulting in discoloration and decreased strength, which limits its application in home appliances, especially high-end outdoor home appliances. In the future, The flame-retardant PP is aging-resistant and modified, prolonging the service life of the flame-retardant PP material in harsh environments for a long time. It is a problem that the flame-retardant PP needs to be solved in the field of high-end home appliances.
In addition, compared with flame-retardant ABS, HIPS high-gloss surface effects, flame-retardant PP applications in the appearance of home appliances is still not inferior. Therefore, to improve the surface gloss and appearance of flame-retardant PP, will help flame-retardant PP products Domain expansion.
Fifth, the development trend of home appliances flame retardant materials
In order to avoid fires, many countries have potential fire hazards for electronic components in household appliances. They all have high flame retardant requirements. Household appliance manufacturers are trying to create a safer environment for users to use. Many parts of the fire rating. In PP plastic parts, some of the original flame retardant performance is low, or no clear flame retardant performance requirements of PP products, has gradually increased the material fire retardant requirements.
It can be predicted that with the development of flame-retardant materials, more new flame-retardant products will continue to be developed. As a supplier of modified plastics, Jinhao will keep abreast of the development trend of the home appliance industry, and focus on the development of new types of suitable for home appliances. Sex materials, continue to provide new material solutions for home appliances.