Sekisui Kydex
One option for airlines and OEMs looking for an antimicrobial surface is Sekisui ’ s Kydex . Kydex is used for formed interiors parts and naturally interferes with the DNA of bacteria that cause stains and odors .
“ You ’ re not eliminating cleaning ,” said Ben Smalley , aviation business manager for KYDEX ® Thermoplastics .
“ You still need to clean . But what you ’ re doing is keeping it clean between cleanings .”
A U . S . subsidiary of a Japanese industrial giant , Kydex has been providing its anti-microbial sheets to suppliers that thermoform them into finished pieces since 2009 . “ We ’ ve been on this journey a long time before COVID ,” Smalley said .
One of the big benefits to the sheets is that they stay colorfast when disinfected , no matter what chemicals an airline uses . “ All of our materials work with even the harshest cleaners they ’ re bringing from the health care market into the aviation market ,” he said . “ It ’ s a huge attraction .”
Smalley said the company has been working hard with other members of the Red Cabin group , aerospace industry innovators that have formed an Aircraft Cabin Hygiene working group to address pandemic-related issues .
One of the first steps is setting standards for what constitutes adequate disinfection in the COVID age .
It ’ s not so much how to clean , Smalley said , but more how clean is clean ?
“ Nobody has a definition of ‘ clean ,’” he said . “ There isn ’ t really a standard for clean out there in the industry . People have different procedures , but there isn ’ t a standard that we ’ re all striving for .”
That will change , Smalley said . “ That neglect toward aircraft cleanliness in the past is going to be top of mind for the industry as a whole ,” he said . “ It ’ s going to be a key part of the passenger experience in the future .”
SIMONA Boltaron
One of the big pushes for the aerospace industry is to find surfaces that are both easier to disinfect — and keep disinfected . SIMONA Boltaron is among those looking for solutions that can stand up to the harsh light of UV-C radiation .
OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2020 ISSUE NO . 17 13