In the course of a fire, combustion reactions take place under a lack of oxygen, in which large quantities of carbon monoxide as well as carcinogenic aromatic compounds, e.g. benzene, are formed. All forms of hydrocarbons (petroleum products) and thus basically all floorings apart from stone are flammable. Low fire loads are important for your safety concept. This is why Fabromont does not use any heavy backs. Bitumen and PVC are used as heavy back coating in quantities of often more than 3 kg/m2 in many carpet tiles.
Under heat, Bitumen releases cyclical polyaromatics which are partly categorised as carcinogenic. When PVC burns, high concentrations of hydrochloric acid gases are released, which lead to irreversible damage to the respiratory tract in humans. In addition to this, dioxins also form, depending on the combustion process.
The combustibility is often reduced by adding flame retardants based on halogens. These form toxic and corrosive decomposition products in the event of a fire. Fabromont, on the other hand, uses chemically bonded water in the form of aluminium hydroxide: the protective layer integrated into the flooring splits off crystal water under heat. The water vapour layer above the Kugelgarn® forms a protective shield against the fire spreading further. In addition to this, with the evaporation the water removes heat and cools the flooring to below the flammability temperature (see figure above).
Kugelgarn® commercial flooring with the protective layer is categorised as flame-retardant and as having low-smoke emissions. In Germany and Austria, this corresponded to the class B1/Q1 of the standards DIN 4102 with B1 or ÖN 3810, in Switzerland, to the class 5.3 in accordance with the guidelines for fire authority regulations. According to the new European regulation (norm EU 13501), this corresponds to the class Cfl-s1. Our module qualities as well as SL sheet flooring are characterised by particularly low combustibility with Bfl-s1.
Fabromont have been developing and producing textile flooring for the challenging commercial sector for more than 40 years. In their fully integrated factory in Schmitten, Switzerland, they adapt each sub-process from fibre preparation and the Kugelgarn® spinning mill and mixing facility right through to production to the high quality of their products and the needs of their users.
After their needle felt Syntolan triggered a wave of imitations over 35 years ago, the know-how of the special Kugelgarn® technology which has grown over the years continues to guarantee the uniqueness of Kugelgarn®. Only Fabromont produces Kugelgarn®!
From the very start, Fabromont have only produced products which were completely new to the market, which are characterised by special features, close a gap in the market and which are ahead of their time.
Fabromont is the founding member of the Swiss Association for Environmentally Conscious Management. All of their activities aim to preserve the environment as much as possible, from the raw material, manufacturing and sales to disposal. Fabromont products are free of pollutants during their entire life cycle.
Fabromont floor coverings are long-term products. They have been developed from the Swiss quality awareness. The fully integrated manufacturing of Fabromont products guarantees optimal quality assurance on every level of production.
