Aug 14 2006
The fixings specialist fischer has turned to BASF’s Ultramid® to develop a new mounting modality for awnings. The essential element of the new fischer Thermax system is a plastic thermal module, the so-called anti-cold cone, which is made of Ultramid® B3EG7, a reinforced polyamide 6 of BASF. Thanks to this cone, the galvanized anchoring rod that affixes the awning to the building wall is joined to the stainless-steel setscrew that serves to mount the bracket. At the same time, it thermally insulates the threaded rods, so that the installation of the awning does not lead to thermal bridges and thus to uncontrolled heat losses through the exterior walls.
The anti-cold cone made of Ultramid reinforced with 35 percent glass fibers is extremely stiff and its self-tapping toothed tip securely bites into the insulating material of the building when it is installed. The plastic can hold up to 2.5 tons (25 kN) and the fixings set makes it possible to bridge an insulating layer that is up to 17 cm thick. The fischer Thermax system can be installed quickly and reliably without any special tools.
Up until now, the thermal insulation of the building was usually negatively affected when awnings were attached to exterior walls, so that the protection against the sun in the summer interfered with the protection against the cold in the winter, even allowing mould to grow. At the same time, the designs employed so far have frequently been unsatisfactory from a structural standpoint. Since March of 2006, the production, sale and installation of awnings have been regulated by DIN EN 13561.