insulbar RE gets the green light from WICONA and Ensinger

Aluminium systems for windows, doors and facades are now already being fitted for the first time with thermal insulating bars made of recycled polyamide

Nufringen/Ulm/München (Germany), January 22, 2015 - WICONA is Europe's first aluminium systems company to use insulbar RE from Ensinger. The thermal insulation bars are used for the thermal separation of profiles for windows, facades and door constructions, and are made of 100% recycled material. This marks a decisive improvement to the life cycle assessment of the overall systems – without compromising quality and without any added cost for WICONA customers.

The unmixed recycled polyamide used undergoes an upcycling process which places its properties on a par with those of new material. Polymer blends or mixed recyclates are not used. Use of the product, which was developed by plastics specialist Ensinger, means an 89% reduction in the consumption of fossil resources, an 84% reduction of carbon emissions and 32% less water consumption. “insulbar RE” is now set to be put to widespread use at WICONA for the first time.

WICONA CEO Arnd Brinkmann: “Keeping a company at the cutting edge of innovation is first and foremost about the concrete implementation of new developments which represent a tangible improvement and which make a sustainable mark on the industry. With these insulating bars made of recycled polyamide, WICONA and Ensinger are working together to create an established position for this meaningful innovation in the marketplace.”

“Sustainability is playing an ever greater role in construction – the world over”, adds Dr. Roland Reber, CEO at Ensinger. “Thanks to this partnership we are now making available windows, doors and facade systems which will equip clients, architects, planners and processors to meet current and future requirements. Systems using insulbar RE provide a sustainable way of saving energy and costs. The Environmental Declaration that comes with the products also offers a reliable data basis for improving the overall life cycle assessment of a building.”

Customers gain an immediate and tangible benefit from an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) issued by the ift Rosenheim where certifications are requested in compliance with green building labels such as LEED or DGNB because the EPD forms the basis for an ecological building assessment. This allows comparison of the data from individual EPDs, which can be collated using a modular system to create a building’s eco balance.

For WICONA to agree to the use of this recycled plastic, the material had to match the efficiency of the polyamide 6.6 customarily used for insulating bars without in any way compromising processability. Ensinger was able to comply 100 per cent with this underlying condition: The insulating profiles made of recycled polyamide are suitability tested in accordance with DIN EN 14024 and possess the same mechanical and physical characteristics as conventional insulation bars made of polyamide 6.6.

This new development from Ensinger is making gradual inroads across the whole of the WICONA product range, and currently accounts for over 50%. The profiles do not need to be ordered separately by the customer, nor does their installation require any special precautions when it comes to handling or logistics. The WICONA guarantee is fully applicable also to systems using the new insulating bars made of recycled polyamide. This means that customers can utilize this ground-breaking innovation automatically without any additional effort – while reaping a sustainable benefit.

For more information in the Internet go to www.wicona.de/en and www.insulbar-re.de/en.

Partners in sustainable construction: Arnd Brinkmann, CEO at Wicona and Dr. Roland Reber, CEO at Ensinger. Source: Ensinger/WICONA

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Aluminium systems company WICONA backs insulbar RE from Ensinger. The insulating profile for thermal separation of the outer and inner shells in metal frames is made of 100% unmixed recycled polyamide. It also improves the life cycle assessment of buildings, as testified by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Source: Ensinger

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Das Aluminium-Systemhaus WICONA setzt auf insulbar RE von Ensinger. Das Isolierprofil zur thermischen Trennung der Außen- und Innenschale von Metallrahmen besteht zu 100 % aus sortenreinem Recycling-Polyamid. Es verbessert zudem die Ökobilanz von Gebäuden, wie die Umweltproduktdeklaration (EPD) belegt. Quelle: Ensinger

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Aluminium systems company WICONA backs insulbar RE from Ensinger. The insulating profile for thermal separation of the outer and inner shells in metal frames is made of 100% unmixed recycled polyamide. It also improves the life cycle assessment of buildings, as testified by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Source: Ensinger

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Aluminium systems company WICONA backs insulbar RE from Ensinger. The insulating profile for thermal separation of the outer and inner shells in metal frames is made of 100% unmixed recycled polyamide. It also improves the life cycle assessment of buildings, as testified by the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Source: Ensinger

Download image

Das Aluminium-Systemhaus WICONA setzt auf insulbar RE von Ensinger. Das Isolierprofil zur thermischen Trennung der Außen- und Innenschale von Metallrahmen besteht zu 100 % aus sortenreinem Recycling-Polyamid. Es verbessert zudem die Ökobilanz von Gebäuden, wie die Umweltproduktdeklaration (EPD) belegt. Quelle: Ensinger

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About insulbar

Ensinger GmbH is among the world’s leading developers and producers of insulating profiles for window, door and facade construction. The profiles marketed under the brand name insulbar® create a thermal separation between the inside and outside shells of metal frames. Insulation systems using insulbar profiles achieve optimum values in terms of energy savings and cutting the cost of heating and cooling. At the same time, insulbar profiles comply with the most stringent quality standards in every respect. They have been in successful operation around the world for over 30 years. For more information, go to www.insulbar.de/en.

About Ensinger

The Ensinger group is engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of compounds, semi-finished materials, profiles and technical parts made of engineering and high-performance plastic. Ensinger makes use of a number of different manufacturing methods, in particular extrusion, machining and injection moulding. Employing a total workforce of 2,200 in 28 locations, the family firm is represented in all the important industrial regions of the world with its own production plants or sales branches. For more information, go to www.ensinger-online.com.

About WICONA

WICONA, an aluminium systems company based in Ulm, implements functional and energy-efficient facades, windows and door solutions to the very highest standard of quality. Its partners include metal construction firms and facade construction specialists from Germany and across Europe. Particularly significant in today’s market environment are building concepts which help save resources, offer a high level of user convenience and are economically attractive to investors and tenants in the long term. WICONA is successfully addressing these underlying requirements. An array of nationally and internationally certified completed projects testifies to successful creative and constructive cooperation between clients, planners, facade builders and the aluminium system company. Backed by the slogan “Technology for ideas”, WICONA is placed right at the interface between architects with their creative planning services and metalworking and facade construction firms who provide the technical implementation. The project partners add their suggestions and wishes to the process of development and realization. Specialist metalworking firms working in partnership help to create the optimum building solution for the client – whether the project is a new build or refurbishment. As a brand of Sapa Building Systems GmbH, WICONA is part of the Sapa Group. Sapa is the world market leader in aluminium solutions and employs a workforce of 23,000 across over 40 countries. www.wicona.de/en