TIGER Coatings Manufactures Spare Parts With Flame-Retardant Materials for Austrian National Railway Trains

After the Kaprun cable car fire in November 2000 and the fire in the sleeping car of the DB night train from Paris to Munich in 2002 (two of the worst train fire disasters in Europe), calls for flame-retardant parts in rail vehicles became ever louder. Railroad operators and federal railroads wanted to respond with components made of certified materials to increase fire protection in trains. The European railroad standard EN 45545 was then introduced in 2013 and replaced the existing national standards from 2016 after a transitional phase.

EN 45545 brought significant strides forward in flame retardancy and, in the long term, greater safety. However, our world and especially our newer technologies are constantly evolving, meaning that EN 45545 can sometimes prove problematic for many parts manufacturers and railroad operators. Additive manufacturing in particular, which is often used for spare parts and short runs, is faced with an inadequate certified material supply. Railroad operators are therefore faced with a major challenge: the right partner with the right material is needed! The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) found this partner in the material manufacturer and service provider TIGER Coatings, which was able to manufacture components from flame-retardant materials using 3D printing. So let’s take a closer look at this success story!

The flame-retardant material from TIGER Coatings complies with the EN 45545 standard (photo credits: TIGER Coatings)

EN 45545 – From Standard to Challenges

Protecting staff and passengers from fires is the primary objective of EN 45545, which was introduced to standardize fire and smoke standards in rail vehicles across Europe. In subsection EN 45545-2, these standards also relate to the materials used for parts. A distinction is made between three hazard levels: HL 1, HL 2 and HL 3, which are based on the type of train and its operation. The materials used for the train equipment must meet the requirements of these risk categories as well as the further defined criteria of the product classes and their place of use. For example, seals and hoses must have different values in terms of flammability, smoke emissions and toxicity depending on the hazard level HL 1, 2 or 3 and their use inside or outside the train. Finding materials that meet these criteria is the crux of the matter for rail operators and manufacturers.