China's largest domestic resin compounder Kingfa Sci & Tech Co. Ltd. has recently launched a long-term thermal-aging lab approved by Underwriters Laboratories. The facility is the first UL-approved LTTA lab established by a materials manufacturer in the Greater China region.

In an LTTA test, engineers accelerate the thermal aging process of polymeric materials such as engineering plastics for around 5,000-10,000 hours and project the highest possible service temperature with a 100,000-hour half-life for a specific material, i.e. the relative thermal index (RTI). RTI is an indication of a material's ability to retain a particular property (physical, electrical, etc.) when exposed to elevated temperatures for an extended period of time.

"During the one-year-plus of the certification process, we made tremendous progress in terms of our understanding of the testing standards, lab operations, control of the testing environment, etc.," Kingfa General Manager Xia Shiyong said at the opening ceremony.

Plastics materials' thermal endurance and flame resistance have been put in the spotlight in China, thanks to a series of high-profile blazes, particularly the CCTV tower fire in February. Chinese authorities have since strengthened the enforcement and inspection of a ban on polyurethane and all other plastic materials that emit toxic fumes when burned out of public places.