New grades have been co-developed with Kuraray

Kraiburg TPE has added a range of injection mouldable and extrudable thermoplastic vulcanisate (TPV) products, supplementing the company’s existing range of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Kraiburg’s R&D manager Dr Markus Beitzel said at a customer forum this month that the first Thermoplast V 70 product of the new TPV range has Shore A hardness of 70 and is available now. He also revealed that further TPV products will be introduced in hardnesses of 50, 60 and 80 Shore A by the time of the Fakuma 2006 fair in Friedrichshafen in October. The new TPV grades have been developed together with Kuraray and are capable of adhering to polypropylene in two-component injection moulding. The 140°C use temperature exceeds the 120°C level achievable by styrene block co-polymers, Kraiburg said, while a glass transition temperature (Tg) of – 64°C is said to also ensure good properties at low temperatures. Beitzel said the new TPVs from Kraiburg are an “interesting alternative to EPDM/PP, as they have mechanical, dynamic and ageing properties exceeding or at least equivalent to those for EPDM/PP”. Kraiburg also revealed that it is seeking applications in automotive engine compartments with the development of “super TPVs” that combine the required resistance to fluid media with stability at temperatures up to 170°C.