E-por® enhances child safety seat
- E-por® in TRIFIX child safety seats from Britax Römer
- Robust specialty foam used in head and neck region
The E-por® (expandable interpolymer) particle foam is now providing greater safety in the new TRIFIX child safety seat from Britax Römer. Used in the head and neck region, this new material from BASF has tough-elastic and crack-resistant properties that enable it to meet the highest demands placed on materials in child safety seats.
Schlaadt Plastics GmbH, a leading maker of molded parts, advised Britax Römer to select the material for its new child safety seat. “E-por is more stable than EPS, which makes it an alternative to expanded polystyrene,” says Thomas Weise, sales director at Schlaadt Plastics. “We’ve tested both EPS and EPP (expanded polypropylene), and following a long series of tests opted for E-por.” The key features of this granulate foam include cost efficiency in production and resistance to impact and pressure.
Protection for the sensitive head and neck region
These properties are especially valuable when materials are selected for the sensitive head and neck region of child safety seats. Only a few particle foams meet the necessary high demands. Britax Römer was convinced by the qualities of E-por, and the safety expert is now using the foam for the first time in its TRIFIX child safety seat. “E-por combines the best properties of EPP and EPS, and is therefore especially suited for use in the head and neck region,” says Thomas Kaiser, TRIFIX development engineer at Britax Römer.
TRIFIX is designed for children of the age from nine months to four years. The seat uses the new ISOFIX+ System: An upper mounting strap called the Top Tether gives the system an extra anchoring point in addition to the two ISOFIX fastenings which provide a rigid connection between the car body and the safety seat. This dramatically lowers the seat’s rotational movement and therefore optimizes the protective effect for the child. Moreover, the seat weighs only 10.8 kg, and its 5-point belt and anti-tilt system offer additional safety and stability.
The TRIFIX child safety seat from Britax Römer won this year’s Red Dot Design Award and received the grade of “good” (1.8) from the Stiftung Warentest consumer protection agency. TRIFIX also received the grade of “good” from the ADAC (German Automobile Association), which tested a total of 33 seats. The ADAC tests for safety, operation, and ergonomics, as well as for toxicity, cleaning, and processing.
E-por expandable foam
E-por is an expandable interpolymer, based on a complex formulation of different polymers which interact with each other as well as with the blowing agent. It is a crack-resistant particle foam that is very resistant to solvents too. This tough-elastic foam can also be stored, processed, and recycled like classical Styropor. E-por is especially suitable for use in impact-resistant packaging for high-quality, sensitive electronic products such as LED/LCD/plasma televisions.
For more information: www.E-por.de
Schlaadt Plastics GmbH
Schlaadt is a leading producer of packaging and molded parts made of Styropor, EPE, EPS, and EPP. With its plastics division, Schlaadt is one of the leading companies in this sector. Founded in 1904 and headquartered in the town of Lorch am Rhein, this innovative medium-sized enterprise has developed into a group of specialized and mutually complementary companies with six sites in Germany and a branch office in the USA. www.schlaadt.de
Britax Römer
Britax Römer Kindersicherheit GmbH is an international company headquartered in Ulm. Its name has been synonymous with child safety for four decades – with pioneering, environmentally friendly products that parents have been trusting for generations. Britax Römer develops child safety seats for cars and bicycles as well as baby carriages and travel systems of the highest quality. Together with VW, the company brought the first ISOFIX child safety seat onto the market. Britax Römer is also active in traffic safety organizations for children worldwide. The company has held the leading position in the German-speaking world for children’s automobile and bicycle seats for years, and is also one of the leaders in Central Europe. Britax Römer is one of the few manufacturers to base its quality management system on the strict requirements of the automotive industry. www.britax-roemer.de
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
Note: A press photograph can be downloaded from www.basf.com/pressphoto-database under the key word “plastics”. This text and the photo will soon also be available in the plastics press release archive of BASF at www.basf.de/plastics/pressreleases.
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