Fire safety and inkjet printed wallcovering materials

Abstract

The session is a follow-up of 2014 presentation on development of fire-retardant wallcoverings. The initial research had indicated that printing with water-based and eco-solvent inks of different types had no measurable impact on the fire-retardancy properties of media. Risks identified were associated with new styles of wallpaper installations and a certain confusion resulting from the multiplicity of measuring methods and fire retardancy standards. Mr. Fouquet and his team explored ways to deliver a compliant media meeting at the same time the visual and haptic expectations of designers and artists. A multi-layer treatment (frontside) and the impregnation of paper backside are added to enhance the fire-retardancy performance. Another parameter to consider is a reduction of the paper weight. This may has some impact on the aesthetic and is thus to be handled with care. With wallcovering shifting to digital on-demand manufacturing, questions on installation safety and compliance with fire regulations have to be reconsidered. Sihl advocate the impregnation of front-side and back-side of wallpapers in order to provide users with an increased safety level without compromise on the aesthetic value. It is a balancing act. We hope that industry will share our concerns and join us with safer and healthier products for the greater benefit of users.