Dräger, a leader in manufacturing medical and safety technology products headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, has commercialised a firefighting breathing apparatus with the world’s lightest type 4 composite cylinders enhanced with graphene nanotubes to minimise weight.

Over 16,000 have been supplied to fire services in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UK, Germany, Indonesia, Qatar, and other countries to date.

“Reduced weight and a non-limited life performance are the key features of the compressed air breathing cylinders,” explains Piotr Saferna, R&D leader of Techplast, the company which developed the nanocylinders. “The combination of lightweight sturdy cylinder material, which was achieved with the use of OCSiAl’s graphene nanotubes, and impact-resistant caps, ensures the high durability and solid robustness of the nanocylinders. They are 75% lighter than steel cylinders and 30% lighter than aluminium alternatives.”

In 2021, Dräger received exclusive rights to use these nanocylinders in its self-contained breathing apparatus.

“Thanks to a shell weight of only 2.8kg and 6.8 litres of air, the Dräger NANO Type 4 reduces fatigue and increases firefighter agility,” says Mike George of Dräger Safety UK. “Since 2021, we have provided fire service companies in more than twenty countries worldwide with self-contained breathing apparatus equipped with nanocylinders fully compliant with EN12245:2009. Now airport and industrial fire brigades, marine firefighters and mine rescue teams have the opportunity to increase safety via a longer duration of air consumption and air supply if using a twinning option.”

Headquartered in Luxembourg, OCSiAl is the world’s largest manufacturer of graphene nanotubes, also known as single wall carbon nanotubes. It employs more than 450 people worldwide in locations including the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Founded in 1889, Dräger generated revenues of around €3.3 billion in 2021. The Dräger Group is currently present in over 190 countries and has more than 15,000 employees worldwide.

Techplast was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Polska, Poland. It focuses on developing and producing composite cylinders.

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