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How to Spec an Arc or Fire Barrier Part: What to Send H-O for a Quote
Barrier parts attract underspecified RFQs because the geometry looks generic: a plate, a liner, a baffle. What the quote actually prices is the duty: whether the part faces an arc or a fire, whether it carries load, how hot its zone runs and for how long, and which data sets the program spec will audit against.
This is the ten-item checklist the H-O applications team works from for arc chutes, phase barriers, compartment liners, and FST gasketing, drawn directly from the parent application page's own quote-information list, plus what engineering does with each item and what comes back.
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The ten things to send, and what each decides
| Send this | What it decides |
|---|---|
| 1. The duty: arc-side or fire-side | The property set that governs. Arc barriers are specified by arc resistance (ASTM D495), tracking (IEC 60112 CTI), and thermal-shock stability; fire barriers by UL 94 class, non-combustibility, and heat transmission. |
| 2. Where the part sits | Chute or splitter stack, phase barrier or baffle, compartment liner, or enclosed-room gasketing; each zone has its own families and methods on the parent page. |
| 3. Structural or lining role | Load-bearing parts are laminate territory (G10 / FR4 / G11, Durostone); papers and foams line and shield while something else carries the load. This one answer cuts the candidate list in half. |
| 4. Continuous or fault-event-only exposure | Organic grades age fast under continuous radiant load even when they never ignite; continuous zones climb to inorganic glass-paper or mica. The answer changes the family. |
| 5. Temperature band, by the maker's designation | The ladder position: elastomers, laminates, glass paper, muscovite, phlogopite. Take the band from the maker's designation on the TDS, not a generic materials chart. |
| 6. UL 94 class requirement | The grade, not the family: FR4 carries V-0 where plain G10 is unclassed; Durostone UPM grades and the ManniGlas grades carry V-0 file classes. The TDS stays with the order file. |
| 7. CTI or arc-resistance requirement | For polluted or condensing compartments, the IEC 60112 CTI line and ASTM D495 data govern before the dielectric line; mica does not carbonize at all. |
| 8. FST data, if the room is enclosed or occupied | ASTM E662 smoke density and ASTM E162 radiant-panel lines in the callout, per the NFPA 70E work context; "fire-rated" in a catalog title is not data. |
| 9. Geometry: DXF, STEP, or PDF, or a sample part | The conversion plan: mica form matched to geometry (rigid plate for flat walls, flexible sheet for curves, with bend radii and edge margins reviewed), laminate edge quality and burr limits as conversion specs, lamination to backing or adhesive. |
| 10. Prototype and production volumes | Converting method and price structure. Every part is made to order; prototype quantities through full production runs are equally accepted, and MOQ varies by material and part. |
What engineering does with the list
Items 1 through 5 climb the ladder no further than the band requires: FST neoprene and silicone foams for the gasket band, glass-epoxy laminate where item 3 says structure, Durostone composite where item 7 adds tracking or arc data to the structural role, ManniGlas glass-fiber paper for inorganic radiant duty, and muscovite or phlogopite mica for chutes and the highest band.
Items 6 through 8 attach the data sets the audit will ask for, read from each grade's TDS. Item 9 becomes the conversion plan: die-cut or machined mica plates, waterjet-cut laminate with clean, delamination-free edges, glass-paper liners flat or adhesive-laminated, and mica bonded to structural backing where handling is rough. Item 10 sets method and pricing, and the reply cites each recommended grade's TDS lines with the method named.
What happens after you send it
- Drawing review. Engineering reviews the duty against the vendor TDS: arc-side or fire-side role, structural load, temperature band, UL 94 class, tracking index, and smoke and toxicity requirements.
- Material direction and quote. A family and grade direction with the TDS attached, the conversion approach (die-cut, waterjet, machined, laminated to backing), and pricing at your quantities.
- Samples. Typically 3 to 5 business days for common die-cut configurations on materials we keep on hand.
- Production. Standard runs ship about two weeks after drawing approval, including waterjet-cut laminate parts and laminated stack-ups; expedited service is available. Ongoing parts run with material traceability and lot-code TDS records.
Documentation available on request: material technical data sheet, certificate of conformance, lot traceability, and first-article inspection, under our ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system. H-O converts; we do not manufacture laminate, mica, paper, or elastomer in-house, material claims stay with the TDS, and assembly arc ratings belong to designs tested under IEEE C37.20.7 / IEC 62271.
The mistakes this checklist prevents
| Spec mistake | What it causes | Checklist item that catches it |
|---|---|---|
| "Fire-rated" with no data set named | The audit finds a TDS without the class the spec assumed | Items 6 through 8, the lines named |
| Organic barrier in a continuous radiant zone | Browning, embrittlement, shrink-back from fasteners between inspections | Item 4 |
| Tracking ignored in a condensing compartment | Carbonized leakage tracks; the next overvoltage follows the track | Item 7, CTI before the dielectric line |
| Mica everywhere, or mica nowhere | Arc-class cost where nothing arcs, or organic laminate facing plasma duty | Items 2 and 5, the zones mapped |
| Wrong mica form for the geometry | Rigid plate cracked at corners, or a curved liner split at its bend radius | Item 9, form matched to geometry |
| Smoke and toxicity ignored in an occupied room | Every material has a class, and nobody has the emission data | Item 8 |
Frequently asked questions
What information does H-O need to quote an arc or fire barrier part?
The drawing (DXF, STEP, or PDF) or a sample part, plus the duty context: arc-side or fire-side role, structural or lining function, continuous versus fault-event exposure, any UL 94 class or CTI requirement from the program spec, and whether FST data is needed for an enclosed room. Every part is made to order; sample and production lead times are confirmed with your quote.
Can H-O help decide between G10, FR4, G11, and Durostone for a phase barrier?
Yes, from the checklist items. G10 covers the general structural duty; FR4 is the V-0 member where the program requires the class on the barrier TDS; G11 applies where the maker's elevated-temperature designations do; and Durostone composite steps in when tracking or arc exposure drives the spec, carrying UL 94 V-0 and IEC 60112 CTI data on its TDS. The reply names the grade and attaches the TDS lines your audit will ask for.
How are mica chute parts specified and converted?
By form and geometry. Rigid mica plate machines and die-cuts into flat structural chute walls but does not bend; flexible mica sheet conforms to curved splitter geometry but does not carry structural load; muscovite FR / arc-rated grades serve the standard duty and phlogopite the maker-designated hotter bands. Send the chute geometry and let the converter review bend radii and edge margins before the die is cut; where handling is rough, mica is laminated to a backing and supplied as one part.
What lead time should I expect for barrier samples and production?
Every barrier part is made to order, including samples. Samples typically ship in 3 to 5 business days for common die-cut configurations on materials we keep on hand; standard production runs ship about two weeks after drawing approval, including waterjet-cut laminate parts and laminated stack-ups; expedited service is available. MOQ varies by material and part, and prototype quantities through full production runs are equally accepted.
Send the checklist, get a barrier-part quote
Attach the geometry and as many of the ten items as you have. If the duty is not yet settled, say so; naming which data sets the spec needs is part of the review.
Samples typically ship in 3 to 5 business days for common die-cut configurations on materials we keep on hand; standard production runs about two weeks after drawing approval; expedited service is available. MOQ varies by material and part.
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Send H-O your drawing or describe the part—engineering reviews every RFQ and converts samples on your geometry.
Last updated · Reviewed by H-O Products engineering (ISO 9001:2015 certified converter, Winsted, CT).
References
- IEEE C37.20.7 (assembly-level arc-fault testing) and IEC 62271 (HV switchgear); NFPA 70E (the workplace context for enclosed rooms).
- UL 94 (flammability classes, per grade); IEC 60112 (CTI); IEC 60243 (dielectric methods); ASTM D495 (dry arc resistance).
- ASTM E662 and ASTM E162 (smoke density and radiant flammability, the FST lines); ASTM D229 / IEC 60893 (rigid laminate methods).
- Manufacturer technical data sheets for the mica, laminate, composite, glass-paper, heat-shield foam, and FST neoprene grades named on the parent application page.
This checklist supports a quotation workflow; it does not constitute design guidance for any specific lineup. Classes and values are read from each grade's current technical data sheet; temperature bands follow the makers' designations; and assembly arc ratings belong to complete designs tested under IEEE C37.20.7. All parts are custom manufactured to order; minimum production run quantities vary by material and part. H-O is a converter, not a raw-material producer or test laboratory, and does not certify finished switchgear.