BBC Documentary P2

May 2021

The BBC completed their part 2 of a documentary about Starlite. It starts off with 3rd party replication attempts, but fully features Thermashield as the standard bearer of Maurice's legacy.

In a nutshell: 
1) Maurice Ward still inspires people to experiment with intumescent materials.

2) The real Starlite does not degrade over time and can be integrated with many different binders.

3) Thermashield fully acquired Maurice's work back in 2013.

4) Our company is looking for capital and expertise to develop, patent and market the technology.
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5) Being in California, one of the key applications is wildfire protection in the Building Industry.

Building Industry

Market demand is steering development into exterior cladding and residential siding applications. 

The feedback has been to integrate Starlite into the current market products, instead of making this a coating or a "baked-on" product.

In reaction to the California and Australian wildfires we are committed to this application and are actively developing several products with the help of partners.

March 2021 - Demo video

BBC Reporters asked us to do an updated "Egg Test" video, please see it here.

Note that the test parameters are defined , the impingement point of the torch is static on the egg and that there are multiple camera angles.

Getting a perfect 10 out of 10 which means no congealment at all is challenging. The ingredients, their shelf life, pot life, mixing ratios, processing and application methods are essential for a good result.

Aerospace Validation

Themashield was approached by Sierra Nevada Corporation, makers of the Dreamchaser(r) spacecraft, to test our technology. We are honored and eager to prove what we can do. Here is the testimonial:

Quote by a member of the
Sierra Nevada Corporation Propulsion Team

Initial results have shown and​ impressive performance improvement over conventional insulation methods on hybrid motors.

The Egg Test

A simple 5 minute test, yet effective to rule out underperforming formulations.

​Greatly extended protection times are limited only by the purity & characteristics of the polymer, elastomer or other host mix. 

Reproduction and

Validation

Our first priority was to prove that we could reproduce the outstanding results that Maurice had shown the world. The approach though, was much different: we performed standardized testing by independent 3rd party labs who were quick to note that this material does not burn.
To the right is a successful ASTM D635-15 test conducted by an independent testing laboratory showing a sample not burning beyond a predefined threshold.

Heritage

October 2018

As part of the sales agreement with the Wards, Thermashield acquired all samples, hand written formulation notes, ingredients, digital media, documents and more from the Ward family. 

These materials are kept safe, in memoriam of Maurice Ward and his incredible story. 

​The BBC Reel’s documentary by Lee Johnson covers much of the story about Starlite and its inventor. 

Femtosecond Lasers

Thermashield's material passes laser tests

Our own samples passed tests similar to those that the material Starlite had been known for, showing the exact same characteristics such as the “self healing” effect noted by Boeing. This represented an important milestone for our company, considering that the original formula had to be updated and expanded upon.
These results were performed at the Georgia Tech Institute of Technology in 2015. One of them was a 1mm protective coating on a 1/8” MDF substrate that pushed the limit of the amount of protection that a thin coating can provide.
The table shows the results of one of our coatings which was tested at extraordinary power densities (Irradiance) many powers greater than that available to Boeing. An 18 year old Boeing legacy solid sample was unmarked by Boeing level irradiance, proving its stability over time.

Other replication attempts

Naturally, people both close and unrelated to the inventor Maurice Ward have always sought to replicate Starlite for its potential and financial benefit. The fact is that no one except for Thermashield has been able to successfully replicate it or develop a product matching its properties.

While some interesting Do-It-Yourself experiments trying to replicate Starlite have been attempted, we must clarify that Maurice Ward’s formulations bear no resemblance to them. In fact, the formula components are challenging to source through specialty chemical suppliers, thus making them highly unlikely to be a part of kitchen supplies. A thick enough coating made out of baking soda, PVA glue, cornstarch or similar might provide protection for a few minutes at best, but will fail to deliver the extended, durable protection that any application would require. Furthermore, a now 20 year old sample from the Boeing 

test series demonstrated no performance degradation during laboratory testing, whereas household material formulations would significantly degrade over a short period of time.
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No one but Thermashield has replicated or performed any formal tests suggesting similar or improved results to Starlite’s impressive independent expert validations. After all, our formulations survived the White Sands, New Mexico simulated nuclear blast under the auspices of NATO and NASA.
We encourage and cheer on anyone seeking to push the envelope and explore alternative solutions to common challenges.  In this regard, we are open to work with Corporations, Investors or Scientific Institutions to expand the limits of these wonderful Starlite materials. ​