MATERIALS | THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS
Right: Hexpol TPE developed customised bio-based TPE materials for Emballator Lifestyle’s Yoga water bottle
improved syringe performance, are less costly and easier to mould than natural and isoprene rubber, and provide processing advantages over TPVs. “Stoppers must move smoothly against the wall
of the syringe barrel, provide an exceptional seal to preserve the integrity of the drug, and be chemi- cally inert to prevent interaction with the syringe contents,” says Ross van Royen, senior market manager of regulated products. Major India-based TPE producer Zylog Elasto-
comp is after this market too. It says that, with growth in locally-made medical devices, it has commercialised a range of TPE grades from 10 to 60 Shore A hardness for applications in medical and healthcare. They meet requirements of ISO 10993 for biocompatibility, cytotoxicity and haemo-compatibility; they are suitable for gamma, EtO and steam sterilisation, and comply with FDA 21, REACH, and RoHS regulatory requirements. Company CEO Aschak Damani cites Neoflex
Below: Zylog ElastoComp’s Neoflex TPE materials target medical applications such as respiratory masks
8060, which is used for plunger seals for dispos- able syringes. He says it is successfully replacing NR, EPDM, EVA and PVC, scoring with its lower density and providing low breakaway and sliding friction force.
“Besides its low CoF, compared to other TPEs,
Neoflex 8060 is designed with a combination of higher tensile strength, stiffness and low compres- sion set to ensure compliance to leakage and aspiration requirements and is suitable for over-moulding onto polypropylene substrates,” Damani says. He also points to a translucent Shore
A 30 Neoflex grade, 8135, for respira- tory masks. “Respiratory masks come in direct contact with the skin for longer durations,” he says. “This calls for a soft non-irritating TPE grade with non-tacky silky feel, enabling sealing of the mask onto nose and mouth areas. Neoflex 8135 is over-moulded onto the
24 INJECTION WORLD | May 2019
edge of a rigid transparent mask, “easily replacing expensive silicones as well as PVC materials cost effectively,” he claims. “We’re seeing that interest in bio-based materi- als has accelerated over the last few years and it’s an upward trend,” says Klas Dannäs, Global R&D Manager at Hexpol TPE. “Dryflex Green bio-based TPEs are being adopted for several applications previously using conventional TPE compounds, both as a drop-in substitution, without the need for mould or tool modification, and also for new developments.” Dannäs notes that since most commercial bio-based raw materials are quite hard on their own, a major challenge has been to develop compounds with high renewable content at low hardnesses, while at the same time maintaining mechanical properties at acceptable levels. Dryflex Green TPEs go down to 15 Shore A. Depending on the hardness, compounds with a renewable share of over 90% (ASTM D 6866) are possible. Emballator Lifestyle of Sweden manufactures
sports and water bottles. Hexpol TPE developed customised bio-based TPE materials for its Yoga water bottle. The complete bottle contains renew- able content, with the lid and harness produced from a Dryflex Green TPE suitable for food contact. “It’s important the lid is easy to open, even when wet, so we worked with Emballator to achieve the optimum surface finish and soft-touch haptics,” says Dannäs. “The material also needs to be easy to colour, to support Emballator’s creative design and branding possibilities.”
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.kraiburg-tpe.com �
www.albis.com �
www.trinseo.com �
www.hexpoltpe.com �
www.lubrizol.com �
www.teknorapex.com �
www.zylogelastocomp.com �
https://audiaelastomers.com
www.injectionworld.com
P
H
O
TO:
ZY
LO
G
EL
AS
T
OC
O
MP
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
