Unglazed R9 from HWL Trade Frames receives PAS24 and Part Q approval

HWL Trade Frames’ trailblazing non-glass bonded Residence 9 Window has sailed through independent PAS24 testing to achieve Part Q approval. Coming less than a month after achieving a series of top-rated passes under BS EN 6375 – 1 weather testing, Graham Howatson, Director, HWL, said that PAS24 approval made the case for buying in R9 on a frame-only basis, ‘compelling’. He said: “We have had a great response from installers to frame-only R9 supply because it offers them significant installation efficiencies and they can buy-in IGUs from their usual supplier. With PAS24 approval just weeks after exceptionally positive weather test results, the argument for buying in R9 un-glazed is absolutely compelling. Handling is easier, it saves you time, it saves you money and we can now underpin our offer with not only a 10-year guarantee but also a series of top accreditations.”

The specialist trade fabricator has led the development of an R9 frame-only offer, pioneering the application of Timberweld® sash-welding technologies in its manufacture. This gives HWL an almost unique capability in the UK to butt-weld window sashes inside and out, replicating the aesthetic delivered in a 90° mechanical joint. This process HWL says increases sash corner strength, which in most configurations eliminates the requirement to glass bond IGUs, which have historically been used in R9 fabrication to give the system structural strength.

Conducted in partnership with the Residence Collection, the HWL window was put through its paces under PAS24 at the beginning of May by independent testing house, Exova, This returned a series of clear passes under PAS24 test requirements for mechanical load and manual intervention testing. Howatson continued: “Manual intervention tests are constructed around a series of three-minute manual assaults on all fixed locking points, hinges, glass and beading. Mechanical load tests replicate the bi-directional loading that you would get if someone was using a pry-bar to force the sash or hinges. The window remained absolutely solid throughout. This is direct evidence of the inherent strength Timberweld® and a real affirmation of our decision to go down this route.”

The BS EN 6375 – 1 Weather Test results, completed in April, again by Exova, give HWL’s R9 non-glass bonded window an Exposure Category of 1600, a Class 3 Air Permeability Rating (600pa); a Class 9A (600pa) Water Tightness Rating; and top Class C4 (1600pa), resistance to wind. “It’s not that we’re saying there isn’t a place for traditionally mechanically jointed and glass-bonded options. We still offer them,” added Howatson. “We are, however, committed to exploiting innovation in manufacturing technologies to give our customers choice. Timberweld® allows us to do that and the installation efficiencies that it offers are allowing our customers to be more competitive and to win more business. “In reducing weight, cutting the complexity of handling glass-bonded frames and making installation easier, it also removes the barriers which have dissuaded some installers from bringing what is a fantastic window into their retail offers,” he concluded.

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