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ITW Formex® - Flame Retardant Electrical Insulation

ITW Formex® - Electrical Insulation, Flame Retardant Film Distributor

ITW Formex® flame retardant materials provide superior electrical insulation and barrier materials in industrial and electronic equipment. The insulating material is available in rolls and sheets and can be fabricated into a wide range of parts.

Insul-Fab supplies Formex™ with fabrication expertise, proven quality, efficient pricing, and excellent service to provide the right solution to original equipment manufacturers.  Volumes large or small can be accommodated with our diverse equipment for cutting, laminating, forming, printing, and machining.

Product Types  

Flame Retardant Polypropylene:

Formex™ GK

Formex™ GL

Formex™ GS

Flame Retardant Multi-Layer Polycarbonate:

Formex™ CND

Formex™ N3

FEATURES

  • Flame Retardant Polypropylene (FRPP) and Halogen-Free Flame Retardant Polycarbonate (FRPC)
  • Complies with UL 94, CSA, IEC, RoHS and WEEE
  • UL listed 94V-0 or 94VTM-0.  UL Recognized File E121855 
  • Non-hygroscopic; Very low moisture absorption
  • Thousands of different Formex parts produced over 20 years
  • Rolls and sheets available in full or partial standard stock sizes
  • Extensive fast-turn prototype and converting options with laser and die cutting, CNC machining, adhesive lamination, fastener insertion, printing, and heat forming

DETAILS

ITW Formex® polypropylene and polycarbonate flame retardant electrical insulating films provide superior electric surge shielding in industrial and consumer electronic equipment. It is also useful as a thermal and electrical barrier material which is reflected in its UL 94V-0 Flame Class Rating. Formex™ materials are available as sheets and rolls or and can be fabricated into a wide range of shapes to meet the flammability and dielectric needs of a variety of applications.

Fabrication

Fabrication is most commonly done with die cutting or laser cutting to acheive a finished part design.  Differrent types of score lines can be applied during the cutting process which allow for the material to be folded neatly into a finished shape, typically during customer assembly.  Formex materials can also be heat formed or thermoformed where more complex geometry or rigid bends are required.  

Adhesive Backing and Lamination

Many Formex design applications require the use of a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) for attachment.  Insul-Fab can laminate PSA's to Formex for both bulk material and fabricated part orders.  Formex can also be laminated with other materials, such as aluminum foil, to make EMI shielding laminates.

While many adhesives bond well to Formex products, we recommend the following laminating adhesives. 

Adhesive Construction
3M 467MP and 3M 468MP .002” and .005” unsupported acrylic for
performance applications
3M 9485PC .005” performance acrylic for
small contact areas on large parts
Concote CC530 and CC533 .002" and .004” unsupported acrylic for
economical larger parts

History

ITW Formex® is a global manufacturer of innovative electrical insulating materials for electronics manufacturing and high voltage electrical applications. The company has 30 years experience in providing Formex™ electrical insulating materials for use in a wide variety of applications ranging from automotive batteries to industrial equipment and consumer electronics applications. No other flame retardant electrical insulation can equal the performance and versatility of Formex™ products for cost-effective fabricated parts. Many engineers have cut significant cost from their designs by replacing a variety of injected molded parts, electrical papers and thermoplastic materials. Formex™ Insulation Materials are highly engineered to serve the demands of sophisticated applications efficiently. Headquartered near Chicago, ITW Formex® provides technical and sales assistance, distribution and production globally.

Historically, many paper and fiber based materials have been used in thin film insulation applications.  However, there are newer technologies that provide superior dielectric strength, ability to fold without breaking, extremely low moisture absorption, and better flammability characteristics.  For this reason, Insul-Fab is proud to be an authorized distributor and fabricator of Formex products from ITW Formex®.  We find that 80% or more of applications currently using fiber based insulation or other products are better suited for Formex™ GK flame retardant polypropylene. 

APPLICATIONS

Formex™ products are used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer electrical and electronic applications as electric surge shielding, compliance barriers, electrical insulation, and thermal insulation. It can also be formed into ducts or baffles to channel air flow for heat management in enclosures. Product applications include:

  • Power supplies, transformers, and inverters
  • Electric vehicle battery packs and charging equipment
  • Servers and data storage system
  • Telecommunications equipment
  • Lighting
  • UPS and surge protectors
  • Medical Devices
  • HVAC Equipment and Appliances
  • EMI Shielding Laminates

RESOURCES

Data Sheets

Brochures & Literature

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