umlaut

HAFEX – the halon‑free fire extinguisher

Since the 1960s, the gas halon has been used in portable handheld fire extinguishers. Following the classification of halon as a CFC gas, which leads to a depletion of the ozone layer, the use of halon fire extinguishers has been banned throughout the EU since 2004. This was also the specification of the International Civil Aircraft Organisation (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA): Since mid 2019, all new registered wide‑body aircrafts have to be equipped with eco‑friendly fire extinguishers and all remaining ones required to retrofit by 2025.

That was motivation enough for the well‑known player umlaut to plan a halon‑free alternative. HAFEX came into existence, the smallest, lightest and most flexible, eco‑friendly fire extinguisher for aircraft cabins.

Moreover, it should also be flexible to install. In order to use it on existing mounting points of typical halon fire extinguisher in all civil aircraft types, it was therefore created as a drop‑in alternative. This considers different mounting types of all large aircraft producers. In some aircraft types, the drop‑in insert is not needed directly, since the current brackets are sufficient.

For deliveries of fire extinguishers, e.g. in the United States, it is mandatory to always include a bracket in the sending. This law is defined by the American organisation Underwriters Laboratories, who certifies products regarding their safety. However, the previously used brackets were heavy and made of metal screws covered with rubber, which were screwed together in a complicated way.

Highly stressable and weight‑reduced

Böllhoff and umlaut worked closely together in order to create a new individual bracket. Whether shape, colour or function – every customer request was taken into account during the development. For an efficient bracket production, the injection moulding process was optimised and every activity in the project closely supported.

The new developed, one‑piece TEPRO^® plastic bracket is highly stressable, recyclable and weight‑reduced. 5,000 pieces per year will be delivered to Hamburg in the future and ensure together with the HAFEX fire extinguisher your safety.