Here at Presco, all of the vinyl film we manufacture is custom formulated to our customer’s specifications. The specs range from the aesthetics such as color, texture, gloss, to performance related specs such as flame retardant, mildew resistance, tensile, elongation, etc. It is very important for our team to understand the finished product’s performance standards in order to full understand our vinyl’s role in meeting those specifications and standards.
An industry for our vinyl film is coal mining. Our vinyl is used to manufacture brattice cloth which is a curtain hung in coal mines to direct airflow. Because of our heavy involvement in the coal industry, I subscribe to one of the industry magazines, Coal Age. In March’s edition, there is a large article titled “Overcoming Mine Fire Fears” dedicated to fire safety in coal mines. It is written by Field Editor Donna Schmidt. She opens the article with this line:
A major mine operator recently leveled with a large industry crowd, confessing: “I am scared to death of mine fires. Scared to death.”
Wow – that really hit me smack in the forehead. And it reinforced for me the importance of the specifications our vinyl is required to meet for brattice cloth construction. The environment in coal mines is very gassy and the perfect breeding ground for an ignition by factors as small as frictional heating or even a cigarette lighter. The article describes a fire on January 19, 2006 at the Aracoma Alma No. 1 mine in southern West Virginia. Two men did not make it out of that fire alive. The fire was not extinguished until January 24th. So you can see why so many in the industry side with the executive that made the quote listed above.
Because of the very risky environment in coal mines for fires, our brattice vinyl is heavily formulated with flame retardants. It is formulated to meet Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) 30 CFR 7.27 test for flame resistance of brattice cloth. This is not a spec we at Presco take lightly. Reading this article reminded me time and time again just how important our vinyl’s role is in the safety of miners. It also made me really grateful of the many men and women who risk their well being to work in an industry that has helped fuel the growth of our great country.
This article also caused me to think of the enormous trust our customer’s place with us to consistently produce vinyl film that meet all critical to quality standards. It is very important to us and we work hard each and every day to ensure all specs are met, each and every time!