MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thailand’s leading manufacturer of toothbrushes and household brushes is committed to producing toothbrushes of the highest quality. For this reason, The First Thai Brush Co., Ltd. has chosen a high-quality thermoplastic elastomer from Kraiburg TPE to enhance the ergonomics and functionality of its Victory toothbrush product lines with a soft-touch grip, as per Kraiburg's press release.
Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) have become important components in the manufacture of consumer products. When The First Thai Brush decided to redesign the handle of its Victory toothbrushes, they were looking for a flexible material with food-contact approval, superior design freedom and efficient processability, including compatibility with other plastics in a co-molding process that would not require a bonding agent to ensure long-term adhesion.
Moreover, ergonomics are key when it comes to designing high-quality functional toothbrushes. The use of an elastomeric material for the brush handle provides a pleasant soft-touch and non-slip grip which helps users achieve optimal cleaning motion with less pressure.
In close collaboration with Kraiburg TPE, The First Thai Brush selected a high-transparency food-contact grade from the THERMOLAST K range of consumer care compounds that also delivers a smooth silky surface finish and offers the perfect balance between flexibility and hardness to obtain the desired haptics.
In addition, the material combines high flowability and excellent adhesion to polar thermoplastics, such as PC, ABS and PETG, with superb colorability for versatile promotional effects. Together, these properties offered The First Thai Brush virtually unlimited possibilities in design, form and function to communicate the unique features of its Victory toothbrushes and enhance the experience of consumers.
"Beyond the right material, the success of any product greatly depends on smooth development and fast time-to-market," says Kit Tae, Deputy Managing Director of The First Thai Brush. "Apart from assisting us in the selection of the most suitable compound for this application, Kraiburg TPE took on our challenges as their own and went the extra mile to support us with their expertise throughout the entire project. Thanks to their high material quality and service standards, we were able to speed the innovation of our product and keep our competitive edge in the market."
As MRC wrote before, in December 2017, Kraiburg TPE presented a new series of thermoplastic elastomers from its Thermolast K family that was specially developed for excellent adhesion and UV resistance in two-component applications with ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM). The new compounds are intended for automotive applications such as EPDM window trim and sealing profiles with moulded TPE corner joints and end elements.
Kraiburg Rubber (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. was established in 2005 and is part of the Waldkraiburg-based German company Kraiburg Holding GmbH & Co. KG. The company produces a wide range of standard rubber compounds (based on NR, EPDM, CR, AEM, SBR, FKM, etc.) for automotive, building and construction applications, and other industrial markets as well as highly customised products for all kinds of industries at its Suzhou site. The compounds are produced on highly automated and fully process-controlled mixing lines, based on state-of-the-art technology. The company has 130 employees.
MRC