TPE Extrusion, extruded gaskets & door seal extrusion
TPE, TPO, TPU, TPV are a class of plastic materials which are flexible and have both thermoplastic as well as elastomeric properties thus are often used to replace rubber in many applications. The primary advantage of these materials over rubber is that they are thermoplastics which mean that they can be recycled whereas rubbers are thermosets which means they cannot be recycled.
They can be processed using both extrusion and injection molding.
TPE Extrusion
Any shape can be made with the TPE extrusion process for various applications such as automotive, wires and cables, door seals, sports and textile coatings.
A very common application of TPE’s are in various kinds of door seal extrusions like
• Refrigerator Door seal profiles or extruded gaskets
• Automotive door seal profiles and trims
• Furniture door seal profiles
• Door and Window seal profile
Extruded seal profiles can be made into any shape and hardness to meet the sealing needs of the applications. These seals can also be made magnetic.
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Types of TPE’s include:
• Styrenic block copolymers, TPS (TPE-s)
• Thermoplastic polyolefinelastomers, TPO (TPE-o)
• Thermoplastic Vulcanizates, TPV (TPE-v or TPV)
• Thermoplastic polyurethanes, TPU (TPU)
• Thermoplastic copolyester, TPC (TPE-E)
• Thermoplastic polyamides, TPA (TPE-A)
• Not classified thermoplastic elastomers, TPZ
The term thermoplastic vulcanizates is referred to as TPV. Rubber that has undergone the compounding process and been vulcanised is known as thermoplastic vulcanizate. That indicates that crosslinks have a role in transforming polymers into more robust materials.
The TPV rubber is exceptionally flexible and adaptable thanks to the compounding process, thus expanding its range of possible uses. Many experts refer to it as blurring the boundaries between plastics and rubber.
TPV is an alloy made primarily of compressed, fully-cured EPDM Rubber (a form of synthetic rubber), which is comparable to polypropylene in structure (PP).
TPO compounds are resin mixtures made of polyethylene, polypropylene, and uncrosslinked EPDM rubber. They have good chemical resistance, low density, and high impact resistance.
They are utilised in situations that demand more endurance and hardness than the traditional PP copolymers, like car dashboards and bumpers. The elastomeric qualities are limited and the properties are constrained to the high end of the hardness scale, often >80 Shore A.
High durability and flexibility can be found in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a melt-processable thermoplastic elastomer. It possesses qualities similar to those of both plastic and rubber, including durability, flexibility, and great tensile strength. It satisfies the requirements of numerous demanding applications, including wires and cables, sports, and textile coatings.
Compounds based on SBS or SEBS are used to create thermoplastic elastomers, or TPS. In fact, the words SBS or SEBS are often used to describe these compounds when they are in fact raw materials. By describing compounds as SBS or SEBS it enables us to know the general level of performance and properties of the compound. In fact, despite being raw materials, these compounds are frequently referred to as SBS or SEBS. Compounds are given a general level of performance and set of properties by being referred to as SBS or SEBS.