NEW FLEXIBLE THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES

Main Menu | News By Date | News By Supplier | News By Category | About Us

NEW FLEXIBLE THERMOPLASTIC POLYURETHANES
15 June 2004 - Bayer MaterialScience AG

Bayer MaterialScience AG has extended its range of Desmopan® thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) to include variations of the material that are even more flexible. The hardness of these ester-, ether- and ester/ether-based materials ranges from 60 to 80 Shore A.

"The typical strengths of TPU, such as high resistance to wear and abrasion, have been largely retained in these new grades. The new grades enable us to meet the increasing market demand for a plasticizer- and halogen-free alternative to established thermoplastic elastomers of comparable hardness," says Georg Fuchte, a business development expert at Bayer MaterialScience.

The new developments have potential for application in the automotive, electronics, construction, machine tools, telecommunications, leisure and sports industries in particular. Their main benefits lie in molded parts with spring elements, film hinges and directly molded sealing lips or impact strips. Examples include electronic housings, bellows and flexible straps. What's more, they can be used to manufacture grips and handles for manual and electrical tools or kitchen utensils using two-component technology. "Their excellent soft-touch properties really do come to the fore in this area in particular," says Fuchte.

The property profile of the new flexible Desmopan® grades is extremely well balanced. They stand out thanks to their excellent chemical resistance to oils, grease and solvents and are resistant to weathering and high-energy radiation. They also display virtually isotropic shrinkage levels of less than two percent. They are not prone to swelling in solvents and fuels, are very flexible at low temperatures and can be dyed easily. They can be processed by injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, calendering and sintering techniques and can be printed, coated, welded or bonded.

Hard-soft technology means it is important that the new TPU variations adhere extremely well to polycarbonate, ABS, ABS and polycarbonate blends and to a lesser extent to cellulose plastics, polybutylene terephthalate and polyamide. "Some of these hard thermoplastics have been part of our product portfolio for a long time. We therefore have a great wealth of experience when it comes to materials and technology, which we then actively incorporate in the development of hard-soft components as part of our customer service," says Fuchte.

http://www.bayermaterialscience.com

About: Bayer MaterialScience AG
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is part of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer employs 23,300 in North America with net North American sales of 8.8 billion euros in 2003. Bayer’s three operating business areas – HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience, improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose and treat diseases, protect crops and advance automobile safety and durability.

Bayer MaterialScience AG is one of the world's largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics. The main customers for Its innovative developments in coatings, adhesives, insulating materials and sealants, polycarbonates and polyurethanes are the automotive and construction industries, the electrical/electronics segment and manufacturers of sports and leisure goods, packaging, and medical devices.

More News:
  • For June 2004
  • From Bayer MaterialScience AG
  • For General