Low Smoke Zero Halogen Cables: Toxic-Free Fire Safety

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Low-smoke halogen-free environmentally friendly cables: safety revolution and new market trends

A cable revolution triggered by materials is opening up a green channel from the thick smoke and toxic gases of burning.

Wires and cables are indispensable “energy arteries” in modern society, and their safety directly affects the survival rate in fires. Hydrogen halides and thick smoke released when traditional Cavi in PVC burn have caused 80% of suffocation deaths in fires. And low-smoke halogen-free (LSZH) cables rely on halogen-free materials and flame-retardant technology to increase the smoke transmittance to more than 40%, buying critical time for escape and rescue. This technological iteration is not only an upgrade of materials, but also a reconstruction of safety concepts.

1. The invisible threat of traditional cables, the fatal cost behind burning

The insulation layer of traditional cables is mostly made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and its flame retardancy depends on halogen additives. Once a fire breaks out, These halogen-containing materials will release toxic gases such as hydrogen chloride and dioxins and produce a lot of black smoke. Thick smoke can reduce visibility to less than 1 meter within 30 seconds, and hydrogen chloride forms hydrochloric acid when it meets water, which further corrodes firefighting equipment and the human respiratory tract.

More seriously, such cables are very likely to cause a “chimney effect” in confined spaces such as high-rise buildings and subway tunnels, accelerating the spread of fire. In the 2003 Daegu subway arson case in South Korea, toxic gases released by the burning of PVC cables were identified as one of the main causes of casualties.

2. Material revolution, from halogen-containing flame retardant to halogen-free and environmentally friendly

The core breakthrough of low-smoke halogen-free cables lies in material substitution:

Substrate innovation: Replace PVC with ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyolefins, etc., Fundamentally eliminate the source of halogen;
Flame retardant technology upgrade: Add metal hydroxides (such as magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide), Decompose in fire to absorb heat and release water vapor, forming a triple flame retardant mechanism (cooling, isolating oxygen, diluting combustible gases);
Ecological chain design: Ban heavy metals such as lead and cadmium from the raw material end, Ensure that abandoned cables will not pollute soil and water sources after burial.

Take the flexible flat cable developed by Laier Technology as an example, It achieves flame retardancy and environmental compatibility through organic-inorganic composite water-based coating liquid, Breaking the dependence on imports.

3. Six core advantages, reconstructing cable safety standards

Compared with traditional cables, the differentiated advantages of low-smoke halogen-free cables form a systematic safety barrier:

Non-toxic combustion characteristics: Only water vapor and trace carbon dioxide are released in fire, No halogenated hydrogen or dioxin, avoiding “secondary poisoning”;
Low smoke and high light transmittance: The smoke concentration is only 10%-20% of PVC cables, The light transmittance exceeds 40% (traditional cables <20%), improving the visibility of the fire scene;
High flame retardancy and self-extinguishing: Passed GB/T 19666, IEC 60332 and other standard tests, Self-extinguishing within 60 seconds after the fire source is evacuated;
Improved weather resistance: The waterproof layer structure and ultraviolet absorber extend the service life to 40 years, 30% higher than traditional cables;
Strengthened mechanical properties: The tensile strength reaches more than 12.5MPa, Flexibility adapts to complex wiring environments (such as subway tunnel curves);
Full-cycle environmental protection: From production to disposal, the carbon footprint is reduced by 50%, Passed EU RoHS and China environmental protection product certification.

4. Application scenario expansion, from high-risk scenarios to universal coverage

Policies and regulations drive low-smoke halogen-free cables from special scenarios to universal penetration:

Mandatory fields: The EU stipulates that public transportation, hospitals, and schools must use LSZH cables; China’s “Building Design Fire Protection Code” requires super-high-rise buildings to use halogen-free cables;
New energy rigid demand: High-temperature resistant cables (120℃) in photovoltaic power stations resist component hot spot effects, Charging pile cables resist electrolyte corrosion;
Data center upgrade: Prevent chain combustion caused by rack short circuits, Amazon AWS data centers have fully switched to halogen-free cables.

According to industry reports, the global LSZH cable market will increase at an annual compound growth rate of 8.5%, and the scale will exceed US$30 billion in 2025.

5. Technical breakthrough and cost game, the dual challenge of industrialization

The promotion of halogen-free is still facing technical ceiling and economic bottleneck:

Low temperature brittleness problem: Some cables are easy to break under -40℃ environment, Guda Cable improves flexibility by 50% through “irradiation cross-linking modification”;
High voltage insulation bottleneck: Transmission above 500kV still relies on traditional cross-linked polyethylene, Halogen-free materials have insufficient dielectric strength;
Cost premium: The price of raw materials is 35% higher than PVC, The production process adds irradiation cross-linking (equipment investment exceeds 10 million yuan).

Chinese companies are resolving cost pressures through large-scale production. For example, Guda Cable Group has built a 32,000 square meter intelligent factory, Production efficiency increased by 30%, Driving the average product price down by 18%.

6. Policy and innovation double engines accelerate market explosion

Policies of various countries continue to increase the popularization of environmentally friendly cables:

China special fund support: Guizhou Industry and Information Technology Department issued 2 million technical rewards to Guda Cable, Low-smoke halogen-free projects can apply for central budget investment (subsidy up to 50% of total investment);
International standard unification: IEC 62821 standardizes halogen-free cable test methods, Promote mutual recognition of export product certification;
Technology industry-university-research integration: Tsinghua University and Laier Technology overcome flame-retardant materials for flexible cables, The project was selected for Foshan City’s “Unveiling the List and Leading the Team” plan.

According to Cable Bao industry data, the order volume of environmentally friendly computer cables will surge by 200% in 2024, Halogen-free technology has become standard for data centers.

From European subways to China’s Sky Eye, from hospital operating rooms to home decoration, Low-smoke halogen-free cables are replacing traditional PVC cables with an annual penetration rate of 12%.

This change not only reduces the toxicity of smoke in fires, but also reshapes the value chain of the cable industry. Gooda Cable has become a first-tier supplier of the State Grid with its LSZH technology, and its products are exported to Southeast Asia; Laier Technology has joined hands with universities to break through the “bottleneck” materials and achieve import substitution.

When cables evolve from “functional products” to “safety guards”, their significance has long surpassed power transmission itself and has become a yardstick for measuring social disaster prevention capabilities.

Where the toxic smoke dissipates, Green cables have quietly woven into a web of life.

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