Thanks to a breakthrough in resin chemistry, JM has developed a line of formaldehyde-free products that provide significant advantages in indoor air quality as well as reduce air emissions during manufacturing.

 

"The new product line minimizes the potential for formaldehyde in the air which is of particular interest to architects and builders who specify for buildings such as hospitals, clean rooms and laboratories," said JoEllen DePorter, market manager for JM's encapsulated product segment. "While traditional batt insulation products contain a cured formaldehyde-based resin which creates minimal off-gassing, JM's new Rx and Free products are designed to meet these concerns about indoor air quality by using a new resin that is free of formaldehyde."

 

In addition to being formaldehyde-free, each product has an Underwriters' Laboratories fire hazard classification of 25/50, is compression-packaged, which means savings in storage and freight costs, and is lightweight and easy to install. Descriptions of additional benefits from JM's formaldehyde-free products follow:

 

Thermal-SHIELD Free, unfaced commercial building insulation, is flexible and designed for friction-fit installation between framing members in walls, ceilings and floors. For example, the new Nordstrom's location in Garden City, N.Y. used Thermal-SHIELD Free in the outside walls of that building. Unfaced insulation batts, in addition to installation in metal and wood framing and on non-framed surfaces, can also be used as backfill above panels in suspended ceiling systems. Thermal-SHIELD Free is ideal where resistance to vibration and shakedown is important.

 

Thermal-SHIELD Free benefits include high thermal efficiency, strength of bonded glass fibers, durability of fibers that aren't prone to mildew or deterioration, noncombustibility, resiliency and easy installation. JM's Sound-SHIELD Free batts provide a more comfortable interior environment by reducing transmission of conversations and equipment noises through interior walls. Used in floor or floor/ceiling assemblies, sound control batts also may help reduce transmission of impact-generated sounds between adjacent areas. Fiber glass is particularly effective in sound absorption because of the many small air pockets between the glass fibers that trap and dissipate sound energy.

 

Sound-SHIELD Free is made to fit standard spacing and thickness of steel-stud construction in commercial and institutional buildings. Maximum sound control effectiveness is provided by completely filling the cavity wall. Sound-SHIELD Free can effectively increase Sound Transmission Class (STC) ratings by eight to 10 points in certain assemblies.

 

Grid-SHIELD Rx provides a new poly-encapsulated, thermal and acoustical insulation batt. These batts resist heat transfer, absorb sound and are designed for installation above the panels in suspended-ceiling systems to enhance their acoustical and thermal performance.

 

The Swiss Bank Center in Stamford, Conn. has JM's encapsulated Grid-SHIELD Rx installed behind ceiling panels for maximum acoustical efficiency. Poly-wrapped fiber glass provides a barrier between the plenum airstream and insulation surface. This barrier significantly reduces fibers in the airstream and provides more efficient, installer-friendly installation.

 

For more information on the full line of Johns Manville Building Insulation products, please contact the Johns Manville Product Information Center, P.O. Box 5108, Denver, CO 80217. Phone, 800.654.3103. Fax, 303.978.2318.