HEXPOL TPE creates more possibilities to be green

Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) compounding group, HEXPOL TPE, has added new compounds to their Dryflex Green family of biobased TPEs, creating more opportunities for sustainability

Dryflex Green is a family of thermoplastic elastomer compounds based on raw materials from renewable resources such as plant and vegetable crops. Raw materials can be produced from various renewable sources, these include products and by-products from agricultural that are rich in carbohydrates, especially saccharides such as grain, sugar beet and sugar cane.

getfile-1HEXPOL TPE has developed several new customisation options for the Dryflex TPE compounds. The hardness range has been expanded to include 20 Shore A to 50 Shore D, with amounts of renewable biocontent to over 90% (ASTM D 6866-12), depending on the hardness.

Thomas Köppl, manager central technology and development center at HEXPOL TPE commented, “One of the key challenges we faced with the Dryflex Green TPE compounds was to develop low hardnesses with high levels of renewable content, since most biobased raw materials in the market are quite hard on their own. We have now added lower hardnesses to the Dryflex Green range while at the same time maintaining mechanical properties.”

getfileThe biobased content in the Dryflex Green compounds can derive from various raw materials such as polymers, fillers, plasticizers or additives. For applications wanting a look even closer to nature, HEXPOL TPE has additionally developed compounds using organic fillers and natural fibres from plants, crops or trees, including cork. Cork is a natural product which comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. The removal of the bark does not harm the trees and the bark is only harvested after the first 20 years of growth. The removal stimulates a steady regeneration of the bark. Each cork tree provides on average 16 harvests over its 150-200 year lifespan.

Klas Dannäs, Global R&D coordinator at HEXPOL TPE added, “For customers that want biobased products that also have a natural look and feel, the use of cork and natural fibres helps to give an additional ‘organic’ appearance. With these new developments to the Dryflex Green TPE range, using different renewable content and covering a greater hardness range, we have created more design and sustainability possibilities.”

Dryflex Green TPE compounds can be processed using standard thermoplastic processing methods, including injection moulding and extrusion. Typical applications include; soft-touch grips and handles, tools and hardware, sports equipment and packaging.

Thomas Köppl will be presenting a paper on ‘Biobased Thermoplastic Elastomers – New Opportunities for Sustainable Products’ at the upcoming Thermoplastic Elastomers World Summit taking place in Cologne, Germany 30 November – 01 December.

 

About HEXPOL TPE

HEXPOL TPE is a global polymer compounding group specializing in Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) for key industries such as consumer, medical, packaging, automotive and construction. Driven by a core belief in being the easiest company to do business with, HEXPOL TPE is dedicated to delivering a trusted combination of application know-how, R&D, production capabilities and comprehensive technical services. As part of the HEXPOL group of companies, we share an extensive global footprint covering EU, Asia-Pacific and North America, enabling us to support our customers worldwide.

LEGACY NAMES : From January 2017, the ELASTO Sweden, ELASTO UK and Muller Kunststoffe businesses will be renamed to HEXPOL TPE.

 

Contact

Jill Bradford
Marketing & PR Manager, HEXPOL TPE
tel +44 161 654 2369
email: jill.bradford@hexpolTPE.com

 

HEXPOL®, Mediprene®, Dryflex® and Epseal® are registered trademarks property of the HEXPOL group of companies.

Source

HEXPOL TPE, press release, 2016-11-17.

Supplier

Hexpol TPE

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