MATERIALS | THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS
mechanical properties and temperature stability up to 80°C. Consumer demand for efficiency and conveni-
Right: Hytrel ECO B is being used in the manufacture of a foldable swim fin by Exotech Innovations
ence, as well as increased awareness of hygienic practices and environmental issues, has driven demand for household goods with improved functionalities and properties. The market for household products is continually expanding and encompasses a huge variety of items including furniture, cleaning supplies, laundry equipment, bathroom accessories, and kitchenware, and their properties also mean that TPEs are also being increasingly used in office supplies. The new sustainable TPEs from Kraiburg have also penetrated the consumer market and are being used by Thailand’s leading toothbrush manufacturer, The First Thai Brush Company, for its new Victory toothbrush. The TPE compound provides all the properties needed to create cutting-edge toothbrushes in terms of aesthet- ics, safety, compliance, durability, versatility, and sustainability. Additionally, the material solutions meet food contact regulatory standards (FDA) CFR21, REACH SVHC, and RoHS. “We’ve been using Kraiburg TPE
materials since the 1990s and have found them to be a great fit for our toothbrush application,” says Kit Tae, Deputy Managing Director of The First Thai Brush Com- pany. “Kraiburg’s TPE team has been extremely helpful with material selection, design optimisation, and processing recommenda- tions. We particularly value the materials’ versatility, which can be tailored to meet our specific needs. The sustainability of the materials has also impressed us, [and] aligns with our commitment to environmental responsibility.”
TPV and SBC Due to vast modification options and natural resistance to oil and heat, thermoplastic vulcani- zates (TPV), a subcategory of TPE, are enjoying growing popularity. In principle, TPVs are thermo- plastically processable materials consisting of a thermoplastic and a crosslinked elastomer. Krai- burg’s TPV solution, Hipex, is found to be especially useful in the automotive industry, as well as in certain mechanical engineering applications. It also adds to sustainability levels by being suitable for in-process recycling as well as end-of-life. New thermoplastic polyester elastomer material
30 INJECTION WORLD | May 2023
Hytrel ECO B is being used in the manufacture of a foldable swim fin by Exotech Innovations, which was displayed at last year’s K Show on the stand of DuPont Mobility & Materials (which has since become part of Celanese following its sale by DuPont). The recently introduced range of solu- tions are said to deliver the performance of standard Hytrel materials, but with biomass-based content up to 72% by weight. Tomasz Krause, Chief Product Designer at
Exotech, says: “The strength plus flexibility of Hytrel ECO B enabled us to design a sustainable swim fin that weighs significantly less and folds to just a third of the size of standard fins, and also supports our goals for sustainability.” Csaba Holop, Global Business Director, Hytrel
and Vamac, added: “We are thrilled that the innovators at Exotech are among the first to realise the benefits of Hytrel ECO B, which was commercially launched only this year (2022). Many other product designers also are interested in pairing the unique benefits of Hytrel with the added lower carbon footprint of the ECO B grades.”
SBC is another type of TPE
material, the products of which include SBS, SEBS, SIS, and SEPS, widely used in shoes, asphalt modification, resin modification, adhesives, food packaging, medical equipment, sports equipment, automotives, and consumer electronics.
In April it was revealed that Chinese company
Sinopec now has the largest SBC production capacity in the world. Baling New Material and Sinopec Hainan Refining & Chemical having have invested $279.74m in the Hainan Baling project which produces 155,000 tonnes/yr of products, including 108,000 tonnes/yr of SBS products and 45,000 tonnes/yr of SEBS products. The 13-unit plant uses Sinopec’s self-developed SBS and SEBS full solution sets, including a clean manufacturing method that can create SBCs of varying grades and performances to fulfil custom- ers’ requirements. It uses Hainan Refining & Chemical’s styrene and butadiene, Baling New Material’s new technologies, and the Hainan Free Trade Port to minimise raw material and transporta- tion costs while expanding the industrial chain to optimise revenue.
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IMAGE: EXOTECH
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