Bayer MaterialScience Polyurethane Composite System Achieves Better Thermal Conductivity Rating Than Aluminum or Steel in Fenestration Applications

Pittsburgh, PA, October 21, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s Baydur® PUL 2500 polyurethane glass-reinforced resin system for pultruded window frames and stiffeners is far more insulating than aluminum and steel, tests show. The thermal conductivity of the Baydur PUL 2500 resin system is listed in the National Fenestration Rating Council’s (NFRC) most recent publication of thermophysical properties.

NFRC is a neutral, non-promoting, non-profit organization that administers the only nationally recognized, uniform independent energy rating and certification programs that provide fair, accurate and credible information on fenestration performance – the energy-saving effectiveness of windows, doors, tubular daylighting devices and skylight products. NFRC’s rating procedure is referenced by the Energy Policy Act of 1992/2005 and required by EPA’s ENERGY STAR window, door and skylight program and required by the International Energy Conservation Code and ASHRAE 90.1.

Independent, third-party test results were successfully peer reviewed by NFRC according to NFRC procedures and are now available for use in NFRC-approved software that calculates window energy ratings. Bayer MaterialScience’s Baydur PUL 2500 composite system, with its thermal conductivity value of 1.522 Btu·in/hr·ft²x °F, is 729 times less thermally conductive than aluminum and 228 times less thermally conductive than steel.

“Commercial and residential window manufacturers are constantly redesigning and improving their products to meet the ever-tighter energy performance demands of their customers. We developed the Baydur PUL 2500 composite resin system to help those manufacturers make more highly insulating residential and commercial windows,” said Craig Snyder, market channel representative, Bayer MaterialScience LLC.

“In addition to better conductivity ratings,” Snyder continued, “the Baydur PUL 2500 system also offers favorable flexural modulus characteristics critical to solid framing materials. Its strength-to-weight ratio is very much comparable to those of aluminum and steel, which makes Baydur PUL 2500 an excellent, strong, corrosion-resistant, lightweight and better insulating alternative to metal for framing and stiffening vinyl windows.”

Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,300 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2009 sales of 7.5 billion euros. The company manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, excellence in corporate management, social responsibility and respect for the environment.

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