THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS | MATERIALS Also aiming at the consumer electronics market


is PolyOne, with two new Versaflex CE grades introduced in February. They are designed to provide portable speakers with durable aesthetics. One of these low compression set TPE grades can be over-moulded onto speaker housings of various thermoplastics (PC, ABS and others) to create a gasket that is dustproof and waterproof down to a depth of one metre for 30 minutes (better than IP67). The other grade produces silky-feeling yet abrasion- and UV-resistant exterior skins. Hexpol TPE launched a range of TPEs with enhanced haptics and touch properties at K2016. The company has expanded its Dryflex family to include Dryflex Touch, a range “designed to give a superior silky feel and soft sensation.” Several Dryflex Touch series have been developed with properties designed for applications such as wearable technology, consumer electronics, smartphone and tablet protective cases, wrist straps, grips, cosmetics and packaging. Dryflex Touch TPE compounds are also said to


offer good scratch and abrasion resistance. Grades are available in a range of hardnesses from 40 to 90 Shore A and are said to be easy to colour in a variety of vibrant shades. Grades are also available that are produced from raw materials compliant with food contact regulations, as well as UV resistant grades. Representative Dryflex Touch grades have been tested in accordance with ISO 10993-10:2010 for irritation and skin sensitisation; they were shown to have no sensitisation potential and classified as a non-sensitiser. They have also passed in vitro cytotoxicity tests, according to ISO 10993-5:2009. Over-moulding grades are available for combi-


nations with various polar and non-polar thermo- plastics.


Packaging trends favour TPEs Josef Neuer, head of product management for the EMEA region at Kraiburg TPE, says current changes in the packaging market necessitate new material solutions that favour


Enhanced haptics are important for wearable applications


M&A activity combines TPEs and ETPs


Last December, Celanese completed the transaction to acquire the So.F.Ter Group, one of the world’s largest independent thermo- plastic compounders and an important producer of various types of TPEs. Celanese said the acquisition nearly doubles the number of its global engineered materials product platforms. “This extended portfolio – complementary to our global


engineered materials business – will be integrated with Celanese’s materials capabilities and operational model to increase opportu- nities for engaging customers across highly diverse application areas where functionality and design freedom are critical to material selection,” says Scott Sutton, Celanese Executive Vice President and President of Materials Solutions. In July, Trinseo, an important producer of polycarbonate,


styrenics, and synthetic rubber, completed the acquisition of another Italian compounder, API, which specializes in TPEs and also in bioplastics. The API management team and employees are now part of Trinseo’s Performance Plastics business. Hayati Yarkadas, Senior Vice President and business president,


Performance Materials, says: “API’s products are distinct from Trinseo’s and are complementary. Trinseo’s rigid plastics have a very strong position in automotive, medical and consumer markets. API’s soft-touch TPE products are often used together with rigid plastics in similar applications, so the combination of Trinseo and API will benefit customers.” In other recent M&A activity, Teknor Apex bought German TPE and ETP compounder PTS last year. This August, Teknor Apex said it would build a 15,000m2


facility to increase the manufacturing


capacity of PTS and establish a new European centre for plastics research and development. Bob Eller, president of consultancy Robert Eller Associates, says the acquisitions “are a natural product line extension and good marketing fit between TPEs and ETPs. We expect to see more.” He goes on: “Some TPE families (SEBS, TPO, some TPVs) have


reached commodity status as they mature and the technology proliferates through porous technology barriers. This has forced some re-evaluation of company alignments, strategies for profitable operations at scale and a search for specialty niches.” Eller also points to what he calls “a reverse globalisation phenomenon in which Asian TPE, TPO and PP compounders (for example) having proven reliability and cost effective supply capability are migrating westward.” Consultant Patrick Ellis takes a similar line: “There are several trends here: first the complement of TPE and ETP, both speciali- ties and higher margin compounds; second, global position- ing of business; third, adding new technology to the current offerings. Two plus two equals five here.


“Will we see more of the above? I think so. The big get bigger and the small stay small, or go out of business. Today both TPE and ETP fit together (auto, medical, E&E, etc) so it makes sense. I think transferring up and down-stream will come up as the new strategy.”


www.injectionworld.com September 2017 | INJECTION WORLD 45


PHOTO: HEXPOL


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