TPE in WOPEX® pencils from Staedtler

For more than five years compounds from the TPE specialist KRAIBURG TPE have been used in the ecologically efficient WOPEX® pencils from the long-established manufacturer Staedtler. Since January 2015 the company also offers colored pencils from the WOPEX® series with a soft component that comes from Waldkraiburg. The special feature of the WOPEX® pencils is the sustainable production process: the base material of WOPEX® is a natural fiber composite material, whose composition is 70 percent wood and 30 percent polymers and additives. Since the compound from the THERMOLAST® K portfolio already demonstrated good adhesion to the wood-polymer material of the WOPEX® pencil, the TPE is also applied to the colored pencils, by means of co-extrusion. This efficient process results in lower energy costs and production waste than in the conventional production of colored pencils, since the wood is used completely.

A colored pencil has to be colorful
To enable immediate identification of the single colors of the colored pencils, it is essential that the decorative coating made of TPE be the same color as the lead. This is exactly the requirement fulfilled by the high transparency THERMOLAST® K compounds, which not only feature excellent adhesion, but are also available in 24 precision colors. The materials also have good haptic properties, which makes the WOPEX® pencils pleasant to hold as well as ergonomic. THERMOLAST® K is food compliant in accordance with the regulation (EU) 10/2011 and also conforms to the EN71/3 standard for toys. In addition, THERMOLAST® K materials, like all compounds from KRAIBURG TPE, are free of latex and PVC.

The production advantage of co-extrusion
The highly specialized and market-oriented products such as THERMOLAST® K from KRAIBURG TPE are the result of many years of development and experience in close cooperation with customers. Together with Staedtler, for example, the TPE specialists developed a method for optimal adhesion of Thermoplastic Elastomers to the natural fiber composite material WOPEX® and decided for an efficient production process by means of co-extrusion, entirely without the use of solvents. The advantage: reduced energy consumption and a shorter process chain in comparison with conventional pencil production.

STAEDTLER is one of the oldest industrial companies in Germany and ranks among the world's leading manufacturers and suppliers of writing, coloring, drawing and creative products. An international company with a high export quota, STAEDTLER has over 2,000 employees worldwide, more than 1,300 of them in Germany alone. The long-established company attaches great importance to the origins of its products and manufactures more than 75% of its articles in Germany. This makes STAEDTLER the largest European manufacturer of wood-cased pencils, erasers, mechanical pencil leads and modelling clays and proud of its long tradition of manufacturing ‘Made in Germany’ products.

KRAIBURG TPE is one of the world's leading manufacturers of soft, elastic Thermoplastic Elastomers. In addition to custom-engineered solutions, the company also provides a broad range of market-specific formulations for diverse areas of application under the brand name THERMOLAST®. With the material solution HIPEX® KRAIBURG TPE is opening up the world for applications requiring high temperature and oil resistance for all thermoplastics processing companies. With new compounds COPEC® and For-Tec E it is entering new dimensions in terms of haptics, adhesion and resistance for consumer electronics products. KRAIBURG TPE has production sites in Germany, USA and Malaysia. The sales organization additionally covers France, Italy, Poland, Spain, China, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil and Mexico. In further countries KRAIBURG TPE is represented by distributors.

Source: KRAIBURG TPE