Mulk Holdings introduces 'first fire-retardant ACP panels' exclusively for Alubond

Metal Plast Industries, based in UAE, a 100% subsidiary of the diversified multinational business conglomerate Mulk Holdings International, announced that it has developed A1 grade fire-rated core and a proprietary bonding system for aluminium composite panels (ACP) exclusively for Alubond, in an attempt to reduce the spread of fire in high-rise buildings.

The world’s largest ACP and MCM brand, Alubond with over 25 million sq m of manufacturing and processing capacity with facilities in Europe, UAE, Turkey, Oman and India.

“The newest addition is the A1 core, which is a further proof of excellence and innovation”, said Mulk Holdings in a statement.

“A technology breakthrough, the development of the core is considered a game-changer in the fire rating standards of exterior facades and makes Alubond A1 the world’s safest and highest fire-rated composite panels”, stated the company.

Adnan Ul Mulk, Founder of Metal Plast Industries and Vice-Chairman of Mulk Holdings International, said: “I am pleased to announce that we have started manufacturing Alubond A1 fire-retardant ACPs that will reduce and stop fire incidents in civil structures and save properties and lives across the world.”

“We are proud to be the first manufacturer of A1 core in the Middle East – at our flagship industry at Hamriyah Free Zone. The game-changing product has been developed by our research and development team and will soon be exported to other markets in the world and we shall endeavour to make the world safer with Alubond A1,” he stated.

Metal Plast Industries is claimed to be the first company in the Middle East and Europe to be manufacturing A1 cores. The company has started offering a live demonstration of its A1 core manufacturing capability to global experts and buyers in its expansive facility located in Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah, UAE, where the new A1 core was tested to achieve below 1 MJ/kg heat release – an industry benchmark.

Rajiv Ranjan Jha, the leader of Metal Plast Industries’ research and development team had developed the Alubond A1 fire-retardant core, meeting all international and UAE fire code standards.

“After 10 years of successful implementation of FR B1 granules and A2 core, our R&D team developed the world’s highest fire rated A1 core for cladding. Our R&D team is now in the process of adding more patented technologies such as light-weighted fireproof cladding, conductive nano core for cladding and nano-ceramic dust-free cladding", Jha stated.

The team used a combination of hybridisation and Nanotechnology by adding nanomaterials and reinforcement fillers to a matrix of minerals to achieve the desired strength and non-combustible performance of the A1 core.