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Atex directive 94/9/EC
The safety in industrial plants and the LATI's
role
It isn't only today that the target of technical
plastic materials is to replace metals. Thanks
to their performance profile and their advantages
featured in the part design and in processing,
they offer considerable benefits in terms of
innovative contents, weight and maintenance
reduction, as well as a concrete cost saving.
From another point of view, it is renown that
one of the reasons that plastic materials are
widely used in certain fields such as electrics
and electronics, resides in their strong electro-insulating
properties. In these fields, the thermoplastic
polymers have easily replaced traditional
construction materials thanks to their processabilility
and to their project flexibility. These
particular characteristics have allowed a rapid
transition toward miniaturization of electric/electronic
components. As is its known, all medals have
a reverse side: this positive characteristic
(the elecro-insulating power), in certain fields
and with certain applications, causes problems
which have no easy or immediate solution. One
of these is the build-up of electrostatic charges
on the surface of insulating materials, charges
which can even rich high voltages and which,
under certain conditions, can provoke sparks
with the formation of electric fields and
arches.
These phenomena have a particular negative,
even catastrophic effect whenever flammable
or explosive substances are present in the work
environment, or in the presence of fuel passages,
etc.
With the proliferation of the use of plastic
materials, it has become unavoidable for competent
safety Authorities to consider the problem with
a systematic approach. The European Community
has recently elaborated published a directive
called ATEX 94/9/EC; which has become
mandatory for all the Union States as of July
2003. The name ATEX comes from the initials
of the French term Atmosphères Explosibles,
and applies to all equipment, components, accessories
(electrical and mechanical) and systems which
are or could be used in locations characterized
by explosive environments. It expresses the
essential safety requirements for protective
equipments, components and systems destined
to be used in potentially explosive environments.
The under evaluation equipments must be inspected
in compliance with the requirements of the regulation
and only if they do satisfy the required conditions,
they may carry the marking required by the regulation.
LATI's range of thermoplastic products complying
with the ATEX Directive.
It is evident that there is a need to consider
dissipative plastic materials, in other words
capable of avoiding accumulation of electrostatic
charges on the surface of manufactured products.
Making plastic conductive may seem a rather
easy task. Today additives can be found on the
market precisely for this purpose. The task
becomes more burdensome when it is necessary
to develop thermoplastic compounds characterized
by constant conductivity values and contained
in closed and pre-established limits, while
maintaining the polymers' favorable performance.
LATI has been dealing with these problems for
some time; for more than 20 years the company
has been offering to the market the LATISTAT
compounds which, as a common characteristic,
have a low electric resistivity value. These
products, which are ideal with regard todissipation
of electrostatic charges, use to have a color
limitation, in fact they are available only
in black. In the last years, the range of partially
electro-conductive products has widened with
the introduction of two new types:
- LATIOHM: semi-conductive/dissipative
compounds with a wide range of electric resistivity
values. They can be colored, in a wide range
of possible shades;
- LATISHIELD: compounds mixed with
additives and with special metal fibers which
in addition to conducting electricity also
have good shielding properties against
Electromagnetic Interferences (EMI).
LATI has recently enlarged these ranges: today
an extremely complete package is available to
satisfy the most varied requirements. In order
to corroborate the commitment and to provide clear
information to the interested markets, LATI has
published a technical sheet (available in our
Web site) which deals with the ATEX directive
and the compounds which meet its requirements.
 
Atex Directive 94/9/EC
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| Contact: |
email:
marketing@it.lati.com
LATI Industria Termoplastici S.p.A.
Via F. Baracca, 7 21040
Vedano Olona (VA) - Italia
Tel. : +390332409111 - Fax: +390332409307
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