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How Alcot Plastics Conforms To ASTM Backer Rod Standards
December 20, 2019
What are ASTM standards?
ASTM International is a century old organisation focused on disseminating technical standards that various industries across the world can voluntary conform to. This is done in the hopes of increasing product performance and safety, this includes standards for the backer rod.
The technical documents produced by ASTM to satisfy these claims are put together by its 30,000+ voluntary members, each of which belong to ≥1 standards-writing committee. Members include those that represent government to upstanding professionals in academia. Collaborative efforts to construct such high quality technical documentation has afforded 6,700 ASTM standards to be implemented for national standards in countries across the world.
ASTM C1330
Basic Requirements
The cylindrical backer rod must be able to be used as a building seal in conjunction with sealants that are cold and liquid in nature. The backer material we fabricate at Alcot Plastics is suitable for a whole range of cold sealants that are tailored for use in construction joints, e.g. urethane, acrylic, latex, butyl, silicone, chinking, and polysulfide sealants.
Controlled Sealant Depth and Quantity
The extruded closed-cell polyethylene backer rod manufactured at Alcot Plastics has been designed for installers to utilise it as a means of depth control for sealants dispensed within a joint.
No Bond Breaker Required
Backer material supplied by Alcot Plastics can be installed in lieu of a bond breaker, lending itself to be used as a temporary joint seal or in situations where joint movement is necessary without imparting stress on the sealant.
Sealant Flow Impedance
Our backer material composition has been designed so that sealants do not stain or cling to them, due in large part to its water-resistant outer skin. To compound on this, backer material from Alcot Plastics is resistant to most any solvent, gasoline, and oil thanks to its chemically inert properties.