MATERIALS | THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS
Right: Window encapsulation is a challenging market for TPE suppliers
PolyOne says that when it began aiming its
OnFlex LO TPEs at automotive interior applica- tions early in 2016, vehicle interior air quality was a concern, but not a mandate. “Since that time, however, demand for material with low VOC and low fog has risen dramatically in Asia, Europe, and North America, thanks in part to China’s enactment of Vehicle Interior Air Quality (VIAQ) regulations earlier this year,” it says. “In addition, ISO, JSAE (Japan) and KATRI (Korea) have all developed standards for interior air quality.”
Keeping down VOCs “Our material, validated by VDA 278 and DIN 75201 testing, is proven to decrease VOC emissions and odours by 50%, and fogging by 40%, versus standard TPEs,” says PolyOne’s Michelle Hearn, director of global marketing, specialty engineered materials and thermoplastic elastomers. She says the company is targeting such products as HVAC seals, interior trays, and fasteners and clips. “Today, enhanced aesthetics, higher perceived
quality, recyclability and reprocessability, environ- ment concerns, light weighting and safety are key driving factors for the development of TPE prod- ucts and their applications in a highly competitive Indian market,” says Aschak Damani, executive director at Pune-based Zylog Plastalloys. He says his company “is spearheading this change” by supplying more than 100 different grades of elastomers sold under the Neoplast (TPV), Neoflex (TPE-S) and Neolloy (polyolefin-based) brands. Damani cites what he describes as a challenging
and exciting application combining injection moulding and thermoforming technology, for auto- motive carpets and interior trims. “Another interest- ing area is body-sealing parts. Applications of roof ditch, waist belt seals, glass run channel, glass encapsulation / quarter window seals and dynamic door seals are quite challenging,” he says.
Damani claims that Zylog has also made significant inroads into the medical and healthcare market, consumer durables, electrical/electronics, poultry and animal husbandry, irrigation and building/construction markets, “by providing alternatives to global imported brands in a highly price-sensitive Indian market”.
Getting a grip on cameras With an eye particularly on consumer electronics, DSM says fledgling Chinese camera maker YI Technology has chosen its Arnitel high perfor- mance polyester TPE for the hand grip on its new mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the M1. The M1 lightweight camera, which weighs just
YI Technology’s M1 lightweight camera has grip made of DSM’s Arnitel
44 INJECTION WORLD | September 2017
280g, received praise from reviewers on its introduction late last year for its simple controls – buttons have been almost entirely replaced by a touchscreen interface in the style of smartphones – and its ease of handling. The Arnitel grip makes the camera very comfortable to hold and ensures that it does not slip in the hand when the user takes the shot. YI Technology is keen to attract customers currently taking their pictures on their phones, and who want to upgrade their photographic skills. This is the first time that Arnitel has been used for a digital camera grip, but it has already achieved considerable success among electronics companies producing wearable devices. Arnitel is broadly used for straps and also for smartphone covers, for example. It is also very well suited to 2K mouldings, where it provides protection and aesthetics, and where its high bond strength with polycarbonate (which is itself a form of polyester) can be a key advantage. In fact, the grip for the M1 camera is itself a two-component product, combin- ing Arnitel with a PC/ABS blend. DSM says that specifiers are taking advantage of the superior touch and feel offered by Arnitel, the fact that it does not cause skin irritation or allergies (the polymer is certified to USP and ISO standards covering biocompatibility of devices), its resistance to perspiration and to skincare oils and other liquids, its inherent high resistance to UV radiation, and its ease of processing.
www.injectionworld.com
PHOTO: ZYLOG PLASTALLOYS
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