|
The KYDEX line of proprietary thermoplastic was introduced by Rohm and Haas Company in 1965. "KYDEX 100" sheet—the only grade offered at the time—carried an FAR 25.853 (a) and UL recognized fire rating and exhibited a range of mechanical properties desirable for aircraft interior applications including: impact resistance of 18 ft-lbs/in(960 J/m), modulus of elasticity of 335,000 psi (2307 N/mm2), tensile strength of 6100 psi (42.0 N/mm2), Rockwell Hardness of 94 (R-scale) and heat deflection temperature of 173°F @264psi (78°C @ 1.8 N/mm2).
|
|
Parts thermoformed of the material withstood severe abuse yet were lightweight, and retained their shape at elevated temperatures. In addition, extreme resistance to a broad range of chemicals allowed repeated cleaning using concentrated cleansers with no staining or fading.
As a result, United, American, Delta and other major airlines began thermoforming aircraft interior parts of KYDEX 100 sheet. Additional KYDEX grades were subsequently developed to meet specific needs of original equipment manufacturers across numerous industries.
|
|
In 1987 Kleerdex Company purchased the KYDEX product line from Rohm and Haas Company, and in 1990 began manufacturing KYDEX sheet at its Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania location. Kleerdex developed numerous additional grades to provide the physical, electrical and chemical properties, and fire ratings, required for mass transit vehicles, electrical enclosures, medical products and other demanding applications, as well as general-purpose grades that outperform fire retardant ABS and polycarbonate at comparable prices.
|
In addition to thermoforming of OEM components, users began to employ KYDEX sheet as a protective wallcovering (together with matching corner guards, crash rails, kick plates and other interior wall system components constructed of KYDEX sheet by independent manufacturers) for commercial, institutional and industrial buildings—a major market for Kleerdex today.
Similarly, wood product manufacturers, in an effort to eliminate the cracking and chipping problems of high-pressure laminates, began to laminate and post form KYDEX sheet onto wood components of commercial furniture, store fixtures, kiosks and displays, applications that now comprise a large and expanding market for Kleerdex.
The demand for KYDEX sheet as a damage-resistant building product was further fueled by its suitability for membrane pressing, a rapidly growing method of surfacing two- and three dimensional wood and/or structural foam core components that comprises a major application now and into the foreseeable future.
|
While the ease of processing, extraordinary durability and fire retardancy of KYDEX sheet established it as a functionally superior thermoforming and surfacing material, the introduction of integral and capped patterns increased its application range by an order of magnitude.
KYDEX sheet was available exclusively in solid colors in a variety of surfaces textures and thicknesses until 1995 when Kleerdex introduced KYDEX sheet with an integral granite pattern. Next came a "granite-capped" sheet consisting of a reverse-printed layer of clear film permanently fused to a KYDEX substrate in any of several complementary colors. Today, numerous capped sheets are offered in decoratives ranging from woven carbon fiber and metallics to camouflage and highly realistic wood grains, imparting components with a high style appearance—as well as the durability needed to keep them looking new.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parts Made with KYDEX Sheet
