Enhanced Bonded Thermoplastic Vulcanizates

Colorable TPVs enhanced with increased bondability

Improvements in elastomers over the last decade have made them the darling of product designers. They put the grip onto toothbrushes, long-lasting cushioning into shoes, and a tactile feel in dozens of other products. 

However, a long-standing problem with TPV elastomers has been in expanding their bondability with other materials, in a fashion that doesn’t require a primer or extensive surface pretreatment. Eliminating adhesives would produce several benefits—reduced costs expended for adhesives and related dispensing equipment, as well as EPA-compliant abatement and recovery systems; removal of dependence on ambient environmental conditions for the “right” cure; and the reduction of parts inventories. It’s also been noted that during failure testing, no TPV has been found on the bonded substrate.

In August of this year, Advanced Elastomer Systems, Akron, OH, announced the release of several enhanced formulations in their Santoprene line that will directly adhere to diverse substrates during melt processing via extrusion, injection molding or lamination. Besides textiles and metals, these grades will bond with engineered foams, etched fluoropolymers, cured elastomers and foams. Offered in hardnesses of 65A, 80A and 85A, the material is also available in a formulation for use as a tie layer, which can permit creation of composite materials with a lower cost and lighter weight combined with elastomeric performance.

One application for the new TPVs has been in the manufacture of hose assemblies for the carpet cleaning industry. As equipment design has evolved in that market, there have been demands for higher temperatures for the cleaning fluid. One company, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, has introduced Synflex Super-Clean hose that sandwiches TPV around a fiber-reinforcement layer. The resulting hose is lightweight, flexible, and can withstand temperatures to 250°F, but efficiently transducts the heat so that the operator can hold the hose without gloves. —RM 

For more information:

Circle 555-Advanced Elastomer Systems, or connect directly to their website via the Online Reader Service Program at www.RSLeads.com/110df-555

Circle 558-Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, or connect directly to their website via the Online Reader Service Program at www.RSLeads.com/110df-558