DuPont Protection Solutions will add two new DuPont Thermo-Man testing facilities in Brazil and Singapore in 2016, increasing its capacity to test and analyze the performance of protective apparel exposed to sudden fire.
.The new facilities bring the total number of DuPont Thermo-Man proprietary testing labs to five worldwide, including those currently in service in the United States, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, enabling innovation and product development with customers in all regions.
“These investments to expand our global network of thermal testing and innovation centers will further enhance our ability to serve customers,” said Rose Lee, DuPont Protection Solutions president. “We will be poised to support the development of more advanced fabrics, as well as advancing our own fiber technologies, which will increase and broaden the levels of flame-resistant protection for those most at risk, including firefighters, industrial workers, emergency response professionals and military personnel.”
DuPont Thermo-Man, a life-sized, mannequin covered with 122 heat sensors, is one of the most advanced thermal burn injury evaluation devices in the world. It was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Government to help protect military personnel from burns.
“DuPont’s investment in its Thermo-Man testing facilities around the world ultimately benefits firefighters and other professionals whose lives depend on their personal protective apparel,” said Russell Shephard, chairman of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) subcommittee on firefighter PPE, and manager standards at Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC). “Thermo-Man®, which meets stringent international standards, effectively simulates what will happen to the wearer in a real-life setting, informing critical design decisions.”
DuPont™ Nomex® is known worldwide as the leading flame-resistant fiber. More than 3 million firefighters, as well as workers across the manufacturing, chemical, oil and gas industries, emergency response and armed forces personnel, depend on its thermal protection to help keep them safe. Nomex® fiber can help enable protective apparel to have the lowest possible weight at the highest level of protection, breathability for reduced heat stress, and the ability to effectively wick away moisture. In addition to personal protection, Nomex® is used in mass transit systems, wind energy, transformers, filtration, hoses and aircraft.
