MATERIALS | TPEs
Covestro’s Desmopan Fly TPU is used with SCF foaming to make lightweight footwear
site in Taiwan – its second facility worldwide after New Martinsville in North America. The new grades are engineered to meet stringent
IMAGE: COVESTRO
materials, especially PA6 and PA66 and is well- suited for over-moulded housings. It has over 50% post-consumer (PCR) and post-industrial recycled (PIR) materials. The series delivers a non-sticky surface for good grip and comfort in hand- and power-tool applica- tions, while improving usability. The series is available in black, with optional pre-colouring to suit specific needs.
Foaming advance Covestro has launched Desmopan Fly, a thermo- plastic polyurethane (TPU) for use with supercritical fluid (SCF) foaming technology. It meets demand for lightweight footwear design, as well as applica- tions such as sports gear, furniture and electronic products.
Desmopan Fly’s formulation enables superior SCF dispersion during moulding, for uniform fine-cell structured foams with good mechanical properties. In footwear, this creates midsoles with better cushioning and energy-return properties, it says. The lack of chemical blowing agents and crosslinking additives ensures recyclability of the midsole. “Sports brands are driving demand for materials
that combine elite performance with strong environmental credentials,” said Wilson Chan, head of business development for TPU Asia Pacific at Covestro. “Desmopan Fly brings lightweight and resilience while maintaining dimensional stability and durability.” Covestro has installed the SCF injection foaming
system at its TPU Asia-Pacific R&D centre in Taiwan. Christian Haessler, head of global innovation for
TPU at Covestro, added: “This in-house capability enables us to optimise TPU material properties with precise SCF processing parameters. We can combine TPU and SCF injection expertise to accelerate customer developments.” Covestro has also begun production of its new Desmopan Rx medical-grade TPU at its Changhua
18 INJECTION WORLD | September 2025
international requirements for medical applications and minimise contamination risks. They are verified for biocompatibility in accordance with ISO 10993 and China’s YY/T 1557 standards for TPU used in infusion, transfusion and injection equipment. They are free from added plasticisers, exhibit low extract- ables and are compatible with multiple sterilisation. They were developed for medical device components such as thin-walled flexible tubing, catheters, connectors, component housings and endoscopes.
Range extended Hexpol TPE has extended the hardness range of its Mediprene A2 TPEs for multi-component medical applications. The new materials – with hardnesses from 25 to
65 Shore A – bond to thermoplastics such as ABS, PC, PETG and SMMA in overmoulding and coextru- sion processing. This allows integration of features such as seals and grips in medical devices without the need to use adhesives or surface treatments. “Achieving chemical bonding to engineering thermoplastic substrates with TPE materials of lower hardness is particularly difficult,” according to Niklas Ottosson, medical technical manager at Hexpol TPE. Mediprene TPEs are produced with traceability and documentation based on ISO 13485:2016 (medical devices) and following the VDI 2017 guideline on medical-grade plastics. They are made at the company’s Sweden site, which was recently upgraded with a new production hall, compounding line and monitoring systems dedicated to medical production. “This minimises contamination risks and
strengthens our commitment to the strict cleanli- ness, traceability and reproducibility controls our medical customers expect,” said Ottosson.
TPE certification Teknor Apex has achieved RecyClass recycled content certification for its recyclate-containing thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Audits were performed by Dutch certification agency Kiwa for the Sarlink Rx 4100B series of TPVs and Monprene R6 CP-10100 series of TPE RecyClass is a European initiative that provides guidelines, certification and testing to help companies design packaging that is compatible with existing recycling systems. “A core component of our RecyClass certification ensures the traceability of recycled plastics, which
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