What is ASAH®?

Reduce the risk of a fire in the laboratory ~ specify "ASAH®."

Conditionaire began in business in 1952 manufacturing fibreglass fume cupboards similar to other fibreglass fume cupboards currently offered in the marketplace today.

In 1965 the Commonwealth Fire Board issued Circular # 40 expressing concern over two fires in fibreglass fume cupboards at the AAEC research establishment, and in response to this, Conditionaire initiated a project involving the CSIRO to develop “ASAH®”: a material, exclusive to Conditionaire, that first became a commercial reality in 1968.

Since then it has been upgraded as improved technology and materials have become available.

There were two major factors behind the development of “ASAH®”

  1. Addressing the ever-present concern of the possibility of fires in fume 1) cupboards.
  2. The absence of a versatile fume cupboard material suitable for acids, 2) solvents, alkalies and heat.

While fibreglass may have a fire retardant added to diminish its flammability, the higher the fire retardant content, the lower the chemical resistance of the fibreglass.
“ASAH®” material has been extensively tested with commonly used chemicals and results indicate that “ASAH®” is the most suitable material for the majority of chemicals used in laboratory fume cupboards.

The selection of “ASAH®” for fume cupboard construction offers a
proven product with safety, durability, performance, versatility and appearance.

Whilst acknowledging the fact that no single material is suitable for all chemicals used, “ASAH®” is the most versatile and offers other significant advantages:

  1. It may be restored in situ to original condition should the surface become damaged or stained after a prolonged period of use.
  2. It has a significant capability to contain a fire within the cupboard and prevent the spread of fire within the laboratory.
  3. “ASAH®” returns outstanding results, compared to other fume cupboard construction materials, when tested to AS1530.3 - Simultaneous Determination of Ignitability, Flame Propagation, Heat Release and Smoke Release:
Fume Cupboard Material Ignitibility Index
Range 0-20		 Spread of Flame Index Range
0-10		 Heat Evolved Index Range
0-10		 Smoke Developed
Range 0-10
P.V.C. 13 2 1 8
Fire Guard Board 10 0 2 4
Fibreglass ESCON-ACH 16 9 10 9
Fibreglass ANZOPOL-ATH10% 15 8 8 8
Fibreglass ANZOPOL-ATH20% 15 7 7 8
F.R. Polypropylene 9 0 2 6
ASAH® 0 0 0 4

The selection of ASAH® for your fume cupboard offers you a proven product with
safety, durability, performance, versatility and appearance.

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