MOSCOW (MRC) -- PolymaxTPE has added two new styrenic TPE grades for gasket and seals applications to its portfolio, reported GV.
The grades, P32-010 and P32-011, can replace TPV elastomers in a variety of applications that include gaskets, seals, valves, home appliance, and food packaging requiring high resilience for seal integrity.
PolymaxTPE says that the grades stand out for their low compression set at elevated temperatures. According to the company, measurements show that the compression set of the P32-011 TPE (60 Shore A) has 16% at RT, 26% at 70 C and 38% at 100 C for 22 h. P31-010 (40 Shore A) has 20% compression set at RT, 27% at 70 C and 48% at 100 C.
Further advantages of the new grades are their good tear strength, cold temperature flexibility, low odour, stability at high temperature, and weather resistance. The raw materials used to manufacture these two grades are compliant with food contact regulations. These materials can be used in stand-alone injection moulding and extrusion applications, or bonded with polypropylene substrates.
"The development of new TPEs with low compression set for the seal industry reflects the focus of PolymaxTPE on R+D and its strategy of working proactively with customers", noted Dr. Martin Lu, CTO of PolymaxTPE.
"Thanks to their improved tear strength and easy processability, our recent commercialization successes of 35 and 45 shore A hardness TPE, D6935 & D6945, with low compression set has been well received by our customers in replacing TPV in weatherseals. The new addition of P32-010 and P32-011 will continue to provide a low-cost alternative to TPV in gaskets, stoppers, flexible connectors, and sealing for food, beverage caps + closures requiring durable sealing performance," added Tom Castile, VP sales of PolymaxTPE.
PolymaxTPE has a full-service facility in Waukegan, near Chicago, IL, USA. Sister company, Nantong Polymax, is one of the leading TPE manufacturers in China. The company’s products are marketed under the PolymaxTPE and Maxelast brands.
We remind that, as MRC informed before, in December 2015, Teknor Apex expanded its "polymer-neutral" product by developing styrenic TPEs with alternative cost and performance profiles to those of TPVs in automotive exterior application. The Sarlink ME-2200 series exhibit higher flow than comparable TPVs, enabling molders of exterior components such as gaskets, seals, and trim to process complex, intricate designs while shortening cycles through reduced packing and cooling time. In applications where TPV compounds are over-engineered, these compounds can provide a cost savings while still meeting the performance requirements of the part. Like TPVs, the compounds are less dense than EPDM and PVC, yielding weight savings of up to 15 and 23 %, respectively.
MRC