I. Background and Core Requirements for Material Development

• Breakthrough in bonding performance By grafting maleic anhydride onto the POE compatibilizer, interfacial adhesion is enhanced, increasing the peel strength from 1.8 N/mm for conventional TPO to 3.8 N/mm (far exceeding the industry requirement of 3.5 N/mm), thereby ensuring that the handle remains securely attached even after prolonged use.
• Process Optimization Adding a 0.5% silicone lubricant reduces melt viscosity. Combined with mold coating technology, the injection molding yield has increased from 85% for TPU to 98%, and the demolding breakage rate has been reduced to below 2%. 11。

II. Material Performance Characteristics

1.  Food-grade safety certification

• Compliant with EU food contact standards EU 2020/1245 Covering 17 rigorous tests—including heavy metal migration and sensory testing—this product is safe for direct food contact. 11。
• Complies with US FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 (food contact requirements for TPE materials) and has passed the EU REACH regulation’s screening for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). 2122。

2.  Outstanding environmental resistance

• Temperature resistance range Long-term operating temperature: -40℃ to 120℃; short-term tolerance up to 150℃ (e.g., in deep-frying applications), meeting all kitchen scenario requirements. 611。
• Chemical resistance After being immersed for 72 hours in common kitchen solutions such as 5% acetic acid, 10% saline solution, and 50% alcohol, the weight change was less than 1%, the hardness change was less than 5 Shore A, and no swelling or embrittlement was observed. 11。

3.  Mechanical Performance Balance

• Hardness: 60 Shore A; tensile strength: 4.2 MPa; elongation at break: 550%; tear strength: 22 kN/m. It offers both a soft, comfortable grip and excellent impact resistance.
• The surface friction coefficient has been optimized to 0.8 in dry conditions, while still maintaining a high friction coefficient of 0.6 in wet conditions, effectively preventing hands from slipping. 11。

4.  Processing Performance Advantages

• The melt flow rate (MFR) reaches 9 g/10 min (2.16 kg at 190℃), enabling rapid filling of thin-walled parts and reducing the injection molding cycle by 40% compared to silicone.
• Excellent polarity compatibility with PP/PE substrates (solubility parameter difference Sp < 0.5), enabling strong adhesion without any pre-treatment. 11。

III. Application Advantages and Scenario Expansion

1.  User experience upgrade

• Anti-slip and shock-absorbing The optimized surface texture design and high coefficient of friction ensure a stable grip even in wet or slippery conditions. The elastomer structure absorbs more than 60% of impact forces, reducing hand fatigue during prolonged use. 11。
• Comfortable touch Shao’s 60A hardness, combined with a fine surface finish, delivers a silky-smooth feel reminiscent of silicone while avoiding silicone’s common drawback of being prone to staining. 1112。

2.  Production Efficiency and Cost Optimization

• Rapid prototyping Using a two-shot injection molding process, the molding cycle takes only 25–30 seconds, with a yield rate of over 98%. The overall production cost is reduced by 20% compared to the silicone solution. 11。
• Environmentally sustainable The scrap materials can be 100% recycled and reused, and the energy consumption for production is 25% lower than that of rubber. This complies with the EU WEEE Directive and China’s “Evaluation Standard for Green Design Products.” 910。

3.  Scene applicability

• Full-category coverage Suitable for handles of various kitchen tools such as spatulas, scissors, and peeling knives, these can be customized via color masterbatches to achieve a variety of finishes, including transparent, matte, and fluorescent. 1112。
• Extreme Environment Tolerance Retains flexibility even in a freezing environment at -20℃, and maintains an elastic recovery rate of over 90% after 500 cycles of use in a high-temperature dishwasher (80℃). 11。

IV. Key Points of the Production Process

1.  Substrate Pre-treatment

• The PP/PE substrate needs to be processed. Sandblasting Surface roughness is controlled within Ra 0.8–3.2 μm to enhance mechanical interlocking; preheating to 60–80℃ before secondary injection improves interfacial adhesion. 711。

2.  Injection Molding Parameter Optimization

• Melting temperature 190–200℃ (heated in three stages, with the last stage slightly lower in temperature to prevent material degradation).
• Injection pressure 80–100 MPa (the holding pressure is 60–70% of the injection pressure).
• Cooldown 15–20 seconds (spiral cooling channel design, mold temperature difference ≤ ±2℃) 811。

3.  Quality control

• Each batch of products must pass. Boiled test (95℃ × 2 hours), Drop test (1.5 meters high) and FDA Migration Testing Ensure that performance meets the standards. 11。
• Adopt a multi-point gating design (such as a subsurface gate) to prevent sink marks from forming in the overmolded layer, and maintain dimensional accuracy within ±0.05 mm. 8。

V. Market Feedback and Industry Impact

1.  Customer verification

• A real-world test conducted by an international cookware brand shows that after 1,000 cycles of repeated use in a dishwasher, the handle equipped with EN9508E-JDSB exhibits no peeling or hardening of the rubber coating, resulting in a 35% increase in user satisfaction. 11。
• According to feedback from catering chain enterprises, the handle of the spatula made from this material showed no sticking or deformation on its surface after 8 consecutive hours of use in deep-frying conditions (180℃). Its lifespan is 50% longer than that of silicone handles. 11。

2.  Industry Applications

• Currently adopted by well-known brands such as Supor and WMF, the product boasts an annual market share growth rate exceeding 25%, with a penetration rate of up to 40% in the high-end cookware segment. 23。
• Based on its high fluidity, micro-injection molded products—such as sauce-pack spouts—have been further developed to support 0.3mm thin-wall molding, meeting the trend toward lightweight food packaging. 11。

3.  Technical Extension

• An antimicrobial modified version (with silver ions added) is under development, aiming for an inhibition rate of over 99% against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The product is scheduled to be launched on the market in 2025. 11。

VI. Comparative Advantages Over Silicone

Conclusion