Sumitomo Forestry has announced that in collaboration with ShinEtsu Chemical the two companies have jointly developed Taika-Guynar, a fire-resistant plywood embedded with a tablet-shaped chemical agent consisting of a siloxane compound 1 and a flame retardant. Source: Timberbiz
Sumitomo Forestry was responsible for developing the plywood and Shin-Etsu Chemical was responsible for formulating the tablet chemical agent.
Taika-Guynar is applied as a covering on columns, beams and other building materials at a laminated engineered wood factory, thus eliminating the need for on-site work and reducing construction time.
Wood-derived Taika-Guynar can replace inorganic fire-resistant covering materials, such as gypsum board, and be used in medium to large- cale buildings, reducing environmental impact and enhancing decarbonization efforts.
Taika-Guynar fire-retardant chemicals in tablet form are embedded into holes (10mm in diameter, 15mm in depth) at regular intervals on both the front and back sides of 24mm-thick domestic plywood to provide fire resistance (standard size: length, 1,820mm x width, 910mm x thickness, 24mm).
Because Taika-Guynar uses a chemical agent in tablet form to maintain the shape of the plywood, it can be easily cut to size using standard woodworking equipment. Unlike other flame-retardant treatments using pressurized injections or similar methods, Taika-Guynar does not need to undergo a drying process after the fire-retardant tablets are embedded.
This results in lower environmental impact during production, shorter delivery times and reduced costs. In the event of a fire, the fire retardant vitrifies to form a strong carbonized layer that reduces the risk of fire sparks dispersing to surrounding areas.
In March 2023, Sumitomo Forestry acquired one-hour fire resistance certification from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for Taika-Guynar when used as a covering for pillars and beams (24mm x 2 layers).
In the future, the company plans to promote sales of Taika-Guynar by expanding the range of applications to include ministerial-certified floors and walls.
