ISO CHEMIE's ISO-TOP WINFRAMER thermal insulating and load bearing bracket system for the rapid installation of windows has been fire rated to E30.
The award confirms ISO-TOP WINFRAMER can protect the entire window area from fire for a minimum of 30 minutes, guaranteeing the retention of structural integrity, as well as supporting at least 200kg/m and providing an air-tight cavity support.
Thirty minutes is considered enough time for people to safely escape a property in the event of a fire and help to delay the spread to adjoining rooms and buildings, keeping any damage to a minimum.
WINFRAMER, which already has Passivhaus certified status, is a structurally solid, pre-fabricated installation frame, manufactured to accommodate cavities up to 250mm. This allows windows to be supported independently from the face of the wall regardless of any external cladding being in place.
Product can be quickly cut to length on site and secured in position using a single component adhesive and, if necessary, fixing screws. This allows installers to fit windows into the insulation area between the inner and outer walls easily, avoiding the need to use metal brackets that cause non-repeating thermal bridging and give extensive problems when the windows need replacing.
Andy Swift, national sales manager for ISO-CHEMIE, said: "E30 fire rating, together with Passivhaus certification, enables Winframer to be specified for applications where both energy rating and safety are crucial factors - an ideal future design solution.
"Widely used in Europe, we are seeing growing interest among UK specifiers in Winframer to provide a solution to the current flawed method of installing windows to walls using metal brackets, creating a thermal bridge and probable route for fire to escape."
The composite brackets can bear heavy windows loads, including Bi-fold doors, to provide a reliable, strong and high-performance support frame. Installation is quick with windows attached directly and secured mechanically using either standard fixing screws or fixing lugs in the usual manner.
A hinged insulation core combines with the composite wood structural bracket to become an integral part of the overall wall structure, providing compliance with window energy saving regulations (EnEV) and the RAL quality assurance association.
ISO-TOP WINFRAMER can be used with a range of ISO-CHEMIE foam tape sealant systems to provide effective and high-performance window sealing. These include ISO-BLOCO One, ISO-BLOCO One Control, ISO-BLOCO 300 and 600, the ISO-CONNECT Vario range of self-adhesive foils and fleeces, and ISO-TOP Flex Adhesive WF for bonding and sealing to masonry and joint/corner sealing.