New, improved fabrics for EW and EI class fire curtain systems are here

16. June, 2023

At VALMIERA GLASS GROUP, we have created improved versions of aluminium foil laminated fabric with steel wire reinforcement for EW and EI class fire curtain systems. Our customers will benefit from the improved products with higher fire safety standards certified to A2 fire safety rating, as well as higher eco and sustainability properties.

Broad application range

From now on, our product range will feature upgraded materials for smoke and fire protection systems, including upgraded 470 g/m2 (GW-470) and 640 g/m2 (GW-640) steel wire reinforced glass fibre fabrics, as well as a full range of texturized wire reinforced fabrics. All systems are available with aluminium foil lamination on one side or both sides, which is glued onto the fabric with a specially developed adhesive with high-temperature resistance. The unlaminated side of the fabric is coated with an aluminium pigment and fire-resistant polyurethane; upon request, it can also be coated with upgraded high-performance heat-resistant coating systems, developed by VALMIERA GLASS GROUP. Thus, two heat-reflecting surfaces and an air-tight layer for manufacturing smoke barriers and fire curtains are created.

The improved products are also great materials for the production of various heat insulation covers.

Higher fire safety

A lot of time was invested in research and development to improve the properties of the material. What has been improved? 

“Significant improvements have been made to the lamination process to maintain the integrity of the foil on the surface during the furnace tests. The new lamination procedure ensures melting of the aluminium foil onto the fabric for higher resistance to the radiated heat and complies with other sustainability and eco requirements,” said Member of the Board of AS VALMIERAS STIKLA ŠĶIEDRA Ingo Bleier, adding that a couple of new product generations of fabrics are in progress to support and cooperate with our customers in their active development to comply with upcoming higher fire rating standards.

Fire curtains and certification

Partial marketed materials are certified to the A2 fire rating, and others will follow soon. They are suitable for use in fire curtain installations which can provide EW60 fire rating in accordance with EN 13501-2 with certification to fire performance classification A2-s1, d0. EW90 tests were also successful. An EW90 test of a two-layer system with GW-470 showed impressive results in terms of time: 1 hour 41 minutes. EW class fire curtains rank among the safest on the market and are used to prevent the spread of fire between buildings, floor sections, and fire zones, though compliance with other combined requirements can also be ensured.

Fabrics with a temperature resistance up to 1250°C

We offer glass fibre fabrics up to 3.05m wide and steel wire reinforced fabrics up to 2.10m wide made of three different types of glass with the following temperature resistance parameters: E-glass (600ºC), HR-glass (800ºC), SiO2-glass (1000+ºC). All products are available as plain fabric, wire-reinforced, or for harsh environments, as well as SiO2-glass texturized wire-reinforced fabrics, – further hybrid solutions are available on request.

More than 20 years of experience in the smoke & fire curtain market

AS VALMIERAS STIKLA ŠĶIEDRA, together with its subsidiary VALMIERA GLASS UK Ltd., operating in the market as VALMIERA GLASS GROUP, have been making coated and laminated glass fibre fabrics for smoke and fire curtain market for more than 20 years. VALMIERA GLASS GROUP’S advantage is a vertically integrated process covering all glass fibre production stages from making and weaving the yarn to the finished product with a wide variety of surface finishes. Therefore, we can offer our customers a versatile product portfolio depending on their needs and applications. 

Would you like to know more? Welcome to visit our stand at the international fire safety trade fair FeuerTrutz which will take place on 21-22 June in Nuremberg, Germany. See you in Hall 4, Stand No. 4-318!