Built on advanced inorganic mineral foam technology, non-flammable foams (NFF) set new standards in fire protection, insulation, and environmental responsibility. Easily formable for construction applications ranging from insulation boards to prefabricated elements, they provide a lightweight, durable, and cost-efficient solution. Sikatherm® NFF enhances performance with a resource-efficient production process and award-winning sustainable innovation.
Inorganic Mineral Foam Technology
Challenges related to future-oriented insulation materials, such as fire protection, insulation performance, and recyclability, were the key drivers behind the development of these groundbreaking products.
The new non-flammable foams (NFF) portfolio with Sikatherm® NFF features artificial mineral foams specifically designed for prefabrication and insulation applications across various sectors of the construction industry. It can be formed easily to boards, blocks, cavity fillers, semi-finished parts, lightweight construction parts and many other applications.
Click play to see the foam's expanding nature in a time-lapse video
Applications
Sikatherm® NFF can be used in a large variety of different applications, onsite and in industrialized production processes. These are just some examples below. Click on the application name to learn more.
Sikatherm® NFF, as a cement foam, is particularly suited for applications with concrete, offering:
- Ultra-low densities (<50 g/L)
- Excellent thermal conductivity (<33 mW/mK)
- Superior adhesion
Thanks to its unique pre-foaming technology, Sikatherm® NFF enables the use of insulating mineral foams in highly water-absorbing environments such as clay blocks.
It achieves:
- Densities below 60 g/L
- Thermal conductivity <35 mW/mK
Sikatherm® NFF can be easily cast in a continuous production process or in large molds. Boards of various thicknesses can be cut to size.
- Compressive strength and thermal conductivity are dependent on the density.
- Boards with 70 kg/m3 and 35mW/mK have a strength of 60 kPa.
Sikatherm® NFF can be applied in a fully automized process and it is designed for a wet-on-wet placement process. This results in a type of gradient concrete element which combines sustainability, material homogeneity and efficient production process.
Foamed mortar stabilizes aluminum profiles in case of fire, providing insulation while remaining lightweight.
Pre-foamed Sikatherm® NFF shows good adhesion and is applicable vertically. It is therefore suitable as insulation render or onsite cavity filler.
Special Sikatherm® NFF products are designed for usage in flooring and roofing applications, combining fire protection, insulation and ease of application.
The separation of hot and cold water pipes, as well as the insulation of chimneys or heating pipes, can be easily achieved using chemically-foamed cavity filling.
Sikatherm® NFF can be foamed vertically up to six meters without a variation in density.
Mechanically-foamed Sikatherm® NFF provides effective insulation for double-layer brick walls while allowing condensed water to be transported to the drying surface.
Awarded as a Sustainable Innovation
The Sikatherm® NFF product portfolio enables the use of recycled materials and production residues while implementing a resource-efficient production process, eliminating the need for energy-intensive autoclaving and achieving an excellent sustainability rating. At the Ulmer BetonTage 2022 trade fair in Ulm, Germany, Sikatherm® NFF was awarded in the concrete technology category.
This groundbreaking product sets a new benchmark for sustainable innovation in the insulation industry, unlocking new business opportunities for our customers.
Sustainability
Carbon dioxide equivalents of common insulation materials compared to Sikatherm® NFF
Sikatherm® NFF offers unique sustainability advantages, particularly in its low CO2 footprint, reusability, and the ability to upscale recycled mineral waste. It does not require autoclaving and is efficiently produced with a very low energy demand.
Soundproofing
Lightweight
Multifunctional
Fire-resistant
Many benefits
- Energy-saving production
- Simple and flexible production
- Resistant against freezing and thawing at all density classes
- Low water absorption due to its hydrophobic nature
- Condensing water will be transported to the surface due to capillary action
- Foam volume remains constant at all moisture and temperature levels and will not change
And advantages for users
- Non-combustible (A1)
- High fire-resistance (R 120, fire barrier wall)
- Capillary effect allows self-drying
- High acoustic absorption
- Very low thermal conductivity
- High specific heat capacity (cooling effect)
Production Process
Sikatherm® NFF is produced using a resource-efficient process that eliminates the need for an energy-intensive autoclave. The concept of foaming mortar is straightforward, making it easy to handle with minimal effort for anyone experienced in mortar application.
Click play to see the production of Sika's non-flammable foam
A Closer Look at Application Examples
Filling of Concrete Blocks
- Thermal insulation: L design: 35 mW/mK (approved by DIBT)
- Fully automated filling station
- Chemically expanding foam
- Highest filling rates
- Stable foam core, also in cut/sliced stones
- Different cavity sizes in one production step possible
Production of Insulation Boards
"Insulation board – first mineral foam board based on recycled materials, a real circular construction product"
