Patent ID: 8481641

Claim:
A component for an air handler or hot air furnace which is a molded product of a molding composition comprising: a) a thermoset resin system comprising an unsaturated polyester prepolymer and a reactive monomer; wherein the unsaturated polyester has a weight average molecular weight from 200 to 5,000 and a glass transition temperature of 150° C. to 175° C.; wherein the unsaturated polyester prepolymer is dissolved in the reactive monomer; wherein the unsaturated polyester prepolymer is a product of a condensation polymerization reaction between a polyol and an acid, anhydride, acid dimer, or anhydride dimer; wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, diethylene glycol, dipropyleneglycol, trimethylpentanediol, cyclohexane diol, propoxylated bisphenol A, hydrogenated bisphenol A, and combinations thereof; wherein the acid, anhydride, acid dimer, or anhydride dimer is selected from the group consisting of phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride, adipic acid, isophthalic acid, orthophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, fumaric acid, glutaric acid, azelaic acid, endomethylenetetrahydrophthalic anhydride, and combinations thereof; wherein the reactive monomer comprises hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and optionally a monomer selected from the group consisting of styrene, α-methyl styrene, vinyl toluene, divinyl benzene, diallylphthalate, methyl methacrylate, and combinations thereof; wherein the unsaturated polyester prepolymer is cross-linked during molding with a low profile additive selected from the group consisting of polymethylmethacrylate, polyethylmethacrylate, polystyrene, polystyrene copolymer, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, saturated polyester, vinyl chloride-vinyl-acetate copolymer, polyurethane, styrene butadiene copolymer, polycaprolactone, cellulose acetate butyrate, and combinations thereof; b) from about 10% to about 30% by weight of glass fiber, based upon the total weight of the molding composition; c) from 0.05% to 5% by weight of an initiator, based upon the total weight of the molding composition; and d) from 250 to 450 pph of a flame retardant consisting of aluminum hydroxide, based on the weight of the thermoset resin system; whereby the molding, composition when molded meets the standard of UL 723.