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DownloadMECART Cleanroom Panels are FM Approved
MECART received both FM 4880 & FM 4882 approvals with never seen before performances in the FM Approvals tests. Our panels, walls, and ceilings received the non-combustible cleanroom grade; the highest FM Approvals mark a panel can receive.
Our panels are now approved for Class 1 Fire Rating of Building Panels or Interior Finish Materials (FM 4880) and Interior Wall and Ceiling Materials or Systems for Smoke Sensitive Occupancies (FM 4882). This feature makes Mecart the first North-American panel manufacturer with FM 4882 Approved panels for cleanrooms, including cleanroom walls and ceilings.
With our cleanroom panels, you can build your entire pharmaceutical or GMP cleanroom facility without being bothered by the thought of fire or smoke-related losses. FM-approved panels also apply to any cleanroom classification and all iso classes.
Mecart has committed to creating more value for its customers, and the FM Approved certification does just that. For our clients, it means:
- More safety to the cleanroom facility
- Prevent precious and onerous equipment from being damaged
- Loss reduction from fire and smoke
- Lower insurance cost
- Reduce the chance of interrupting business operations
- Sprinkler system may be reduced or eliminated
- Can be used for all cleanroom occupancy, such as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, semiconductor, vaccine production, medical devices, and drug compounding.
- And more
What is FM Approvals?
Factory Mutual Approvals, commonly known as FM Approvals, is a worldwide certification organization and a third-party testing body specialized in property loss prevention products. FM Approvals is a division of FM Global, an international insurance company. Those two companies were born from the idea that most property losses are preventable using duly tested and controlled equipment.
What began with modest hydraulic testing for fire protection has now developed property damage expertise and product resistance testing for electrical hazards, fire technology, hydraulics, natural hazards, and explosions. Over the years, FM Approvals continues to add more specific certifications to their product portfolio, such as cleanroom material (FM 4910) or wall and ceiling systems (FM Approvals 4800 & 4882).
What do FM Approved panels mean for your cleanroom project?
FM Approved means that the panels have been thoroughly tested and meet the walls and ceilings FM Approvals requirements for fire rating (FM 4880) and smoke sensitive occupancies (FM 4882). Cleanroom panels are not all manufactured equally.
Some panels are made of polystyrene (thermoplastic) or aluminum, while others are made with fiberglass reinforced plastic or stainless steel. The core materials may also differ. You can find a range of cleanroom panels made from low to high-quality materials. That wide variety of materials and cleanroom panels mean that they don’t react the same when exposed to fire, heat, and smoke.
Thanks to scientific evaluations, the FM Approved mark guarantees how the cleanroom walls and ceilings will react when facing those elements. Depending on the purpose of your cleanroom, insurances, or company policy, you might need FM Approved panels for loss prevention or insurance.
The initial cost of a cleanroom is expensive, and that investment needs to be protected. A small amount of contamination from fire and smoke can cause irreparable damages to your cleanroom facility. FM-approved panels will bring you peace of mind and meet all the different insurance requirements.
What is FM 4880?
The FM 4880 certification is for Class 1 Fire Rating of Building Panels or Interior Finish Materials. For commercial and industrial use. In other words, the FM-Approvals 4880 test is to evaluate the fire performance, the heat release, and fire propagation of the panels when exposed to burning flames. The FM 4880 test is happening under specific conditions, replicating the field applications to have precise results on how the panels would react.
There are three tests within the FM 4880 approvals:
- 16 ft High Parallel Panel Test
- FM Approvals 25 ft (7.6 m) High Corner Test
- FM Approvals 50 ft (15.2 m) High Corner Test
Other criteria are being monitored, such as combustion, ash content, heat content, surface burning characteristics, and density of insulating cores. Also, FM Approvals may do more testing if they judge it necessary. In the end, the panels will receive a certification for being either combustible or non-combustible. The class level will be given upon the performance of the insulated panels when exposed to fire. The highest qualification possible is Class 1 with no height restriction, which means they can be installed with unlimited heights.
What is FM 4882?
The FM Approvals Class Number 4882 certification is for Interior Wall and Ceiling Materials or Systems for Smoke Sensitive Occupancies. The FM 4882 Approval standard certifies the usage of insulated panels for smoke-sensitive occupancies. For commercial and industrial use. The panels are certified under three different types of applications.
- Cleanrooms / Clean rooms
- Pharma manufacturing and storage
- food preparation and storage areas and similar occupancies
In a strict and controlled environment like cleanrooms, where cleanliness levels are critical, smoke can cause irreversible damage to your facility and your operations. Smoke is elusive and can go everywhere, making it likely to cause more harm than the fire itself. The FM 4882 Approved panels will protect you from the loss of stored and in-process products, damage to high-value equipment, business interruption, and, most importantly, the costly decontamination of your facility.
Mecart: First North-American Panel Manufacturer with FM Approved Mark for Cleanroom Walls and Ceilings
As mentioned before, there are three types of occupancy that the FM 4882 Approved panels cover: the cleanrooms, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and food preparation. The most challenging certification to get is the cleanroom-grade non-combustible panels. Not only did Mecart’s panels passed the test with flying colors, but they also achieved best-in-class performances. Mecart obtained the highest possible ranking for the modular panel systems. Mecart is now FM Approved for both 4880 and 4882 certifications, making them the first North-American panel manufacturer with cleanroom grade FM Approved panels.
Benefits of having FM 4882 certified panels* |
| · The only wall and ceiling panels in the world tested and certified for use in smoke sensitive occupancies such as pharmaceutical, food processing, and other smoke sensitive industries |
| · Reduced fire loss, a significant reduction in smoke-related loss, and reduce business down time. |
| · Strong enough to be power washed. |
| · Sprinkler protection may be reduced or eliminated if the occupancy allows. |
Mecart Wall and Ceiling Panels will be FM approved and rated with the following ratings:
- 4880 Class 1, non-combustible core with Unlimited height installation because of its virtual absence of heat release and fire propagation.
- 4882 Class 1, non-combustible core for Cleanroom because of its near-zero smoke levels nor combustion
The Mecart 4880 FM Approval Test Results
During the 4880 FM Test, Mecart sandwich panels did not spread the flames past the crib location, which means no extremities’ charring. When conducting FM Approval tests, it’s not uncommon to see the panel temperature reaching 700°F when exposed to burning flames. Mecart’s panel system achieved much better results. The test registered a grade of 231°F below the average. Mecart cleanroom panels did not exceed the 469°F mark during the 15-minute test, passing the test without a hitch.
The Mecart 4882 FM Approval Test
The smoke-sensitive occupancy test consists of 2 panels installed in parallel, with a gas burner and an extraction device to measure the smoke generation rate. With the 4882 FM Approval seal, Mecart cleanroom panels are guaranteed to limit flames’ propagation and produce a substantially smaller amount of smoke than traditional wall and ceiling systems. Mecart cleanroom panels passed the tests easily with best-in-class performances.
Download the panel spec sheet