Chomarat, an independent industrial group and a leading player in the textile field, has launched its new generation of reinforcements for roofing felt, RotaflamTM Neo, developed in collaboration with Norafin.

It is the only reinforcement of its kind on the market, because it offers the benefits of both glass and polyester and combines the performances of laid scrim (strength and dimensional stability) and non-woven materials (puncture, fire, and tear resistance) in a single layer.

RotaflamTM Neo is the result of a joint development between Chomarat, which has been active on the roofing market for 40 years, and is an expert in the design and production of laid scrim, and Norafin, a specialist in hydro entanglement non-woven for 35 years.

RotaflamTM Neo is made up of a fibreglass and/or polyester-based laid scrim, a nonwoven material, and a glass veil. The non-woven material uses a water-jet binding process that guarantees the performances of the laid scrim. Using a laid scrim that combines glass and polyester offers two benefits, due to its intrinsic properties, the glass adds stability on the roof, but also on the membrane production lines, while the polyester brings elongation and strength, according to a press release.

Marlene Berthouze, roofing market manager at Chomarat said, “By combining our know-how, we can offer a reinforcement that rises to the challenges of the waterproofing market, offering improved performance, while reducing the thickness of the membranes. The reduced weight of the bitumen significantly cuts the production costs of the membranes. RotaflamTM Neo improves the fire resistance of the waterproofing membrane and does away with the need to include certain chemical additives in the formulation.”

Raphaël Pleynet, business director, composites and construction at Chomarat said, “RotaflamTM Neo is the perfect addition to our range of reinforcements, and it was well received by the entire profession at the Waterproof Membranes 2015 conference in Bonn.” (GK)