Analysis of several adhesive characteristics of TPE/TPR materials

Thermoplastic elastomer (English for Thermoplastic Elastomer) is an environmentally friendly low-carbon composite material with the characteristics of rubber (high elasticity, compression permanent deformation, etc.) and the processing characteristics of plastic (simple process). (Popularly spoken: thermoplastic elastomer is a rubber with high elasticity, high resilience, but also has the characteristics of injection molding processing, with environmental protection, non-toxic safety, a wide range of hardness, excellent coloring, soft to the touch, weather resistance, fatigue resistance and temperature resistance, superior processing performance, no vulcanization, can be recycled to reduce costs, both secondary injection molding, and PP, PE, PC, PS, ABS (ABS and other substrate materials wrapped bonding, but also can be formed alone.   1.TPE material self-adhesive; refers to the TPE material surface has a strong adhesive, similar to the surface coated with glue. This has a strong self-adhesive TPE material can be used to paste everyday items to prevent touching fall or overturn. Similar TPE material, a foreign TPE manufacturer has a special research and development, and applied for a patent. In fact, in the conventional TPE blending system, adding a good compatibility with the main blending system of viscosity enhances the adhesion of the TPE material surface. This kind of adhesion is positive, which is what the user demands and hopes for.   2. Adhesion on the surface of soft TPE materials. Some low hardness TPE materials, due to the oil component content in the mix, resulting in a sticky feeling on the surface of soft TPE materials. This sticky feeling is caused by the oil in the formulation. Usually TPE (TPR) based on SBS base is more prone to surface sticky hand problem, this kind of stickiness is negative and is what users want to eliminate.   3. Stickiness during overmolding. Adhesion here, refers to the TPE and the wrapped substrate (plastic) due to the close solubility sp or good compatibility, injection molding at high temperatures, the bonding of the two materials in the bonding surface of the fusion bonding effect. The good or bad adhesion mainly depends on the surface affinity of TPE and the covered plastic (similar melting point, close polarity and surface tension, etc.)  


TPE,TPR thermoplastic elastomer color matching process analysis

  Selection of color carrier (color powder carrier resin)   For TPE/TPR with different substrates or hardnesses, different color carriers are used, mainly considering that the melting point of the color masterbatch should be close to that of the main material, which is conducive to the full plasticization and good mixing of the color masterbatch and the main material during screw shearing and injection, so as to achieve the best color matching effect.   1) For TPE/TPR with SBS as the base, it is better to use polystyrene or EVA as the color carrier.   (2) For hard TPE/TPR with SEBS as the base, polypropylene color carrier is preferred.   (3) Softer TPE/TPR with SEBS as the matrix, it is better to use low-density polyethylene or ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer instead of polypropylene carrier, in order to avoid the hardness of the composite material being affected by polypropylene carrier.   (4) SBS, SEBS are not allowed to use PVC as the base color masterbatch.   (5) For some overmolded TPE/TPR applications, polyethylene coloring agent should be avoided, because polyethylene coloring agent may adversely affect the adhesion between TPE/TPR and the substrate.   The effect of TPE/TPR adhesive material characteristics on the color matching effect.   The first article above is to ensure the correctness of the color masterbatch (colorant) category, and then consider the influence of TPE/TPR adhesive material characteristics on the color matching.   1) The influence of specific gravity of TPE/TPR compound on color matching   For lighter weight materials, the filler content is less and the dose of color masterbatch or color powder added is small enough to achieve excellent color matching effect. In the case of other blending system, add quantitative color masterbatch/colorant to compare the color matching effect - transparent TPE is the best, with bright color and less colorant added; translucent TPE is the second best, with better color matching; solid TPE has much inferior color matching effect. It can be understood that the higher the specific gravity, the worse the color matching effect.   2) Influence of TPE/TPR rubber compounding system   The influence of specific gravity on color matching. The specific gravity is mainly affected by the filler (such as calcium carbonate, etc.). Therefore, the quality of calcium carbonate (such as color, fineness and compatibility with the system, etc.) has a greater impact on the color matching effect.


TPE, TPR products spraying or printing ink process analysis

  Some TPE, TPR materials used in the production of toys, electronic equipment, wire and cable products, often spray ink or paint the surface after processing. But many users reflect that TPE|TPR products are not good spraying or printing ink, sprayed on easily fall off.   Causes and solutions to countermeasures.   1. The problem of poor ink adhesion   1.1 Cause analysis.   TPE|TPR material and ink polarity difference, the ink is difficult to be compatible with TPE|TPR material, the ink is only adhered to the surface of TPE products, and can not penetrate into the TPE material inside. This adhesion force is naturally insufficient and easy to fall off.   1.2 Countermeasures   The major principle is the compatibility of ink and TPE|TPR material. Under the premise of ensuring the basic performance requirements of the product, then consider the easy adhesion of the ink. Should first understand the TPE|TPR material mixing system, and then targeted to provide a specific ink. Generally PS plastic has certain polarity, easy to spray printing ink. And PP plastic is a non-polar material, and high crystallinity, there is a strong resistance to solvent corrosion, the surface directly spray printing ink and coating is more difficult, usually need to be surface pretreatment.   2. Paint ink stretching cracking or peeling   Some TPE|TPR products, itself can be ink paint spray printing, adhesion is also good, but if the product is stretched, the surface of the paint is easy to fall off or cracking.   2.1 Cause analysis.   Ink or paint layer can not be stretched with the same amplitude with elastomer TPE products, when more than the limit it can withstand, the ink layer will crack or even fall off.   2.2 Solution countermeasures   Increase the binder component fraction of ink or paint to enhance the surface tensile resistance of the ink spray layer.   TPE|TPR is a blend of modified materials, the component characteristics of its blending system is very important to the choice of ink. Sometimes in order to achieve good ink printing and spraying effect, need to TPE, TPR raw material manufacturers and ink providers to work closely together to solve the problem of poor adhesion of oil spraying faced by common customers, in order to achieve a win-win-win effect.


Brief analysis of the thermoplastic elastic foam properties of SEBS base material

  SEBS is an aliphatic double bond saturated by hydrogenation in order to expand the range of applications. The saturated thermoplastic elastomer SEBS has a saturated alkene structure in the soft segment, which has better weathering and heat aging resistance than SBS, and is stronger than SBS, so it has a wider range of applications.   SEBS thermoplastic elastomer is a new type of polymer material between rubber and resin, not only can replace part of the rubber, but also can make good modification of plastic. It has excellent compatibility with other plastic materials, and because SEBS can be adjusted by adding extension oil to adjust the softness and hardness of the material, it can be made into a wide range of hardness foam products, the hardness of the finished foam products can range from 5C-60C, and the specific gravity is very low, between 0.08-0.3. SEBS has the characteristics of heat plastic, so the molded products after foaming can also be re-shaped to make the shape The foamed products can be recycled.   SEBS foams have the following main characteristics.   Compression deformation, non-slip characteristics better than EVA foam board, its physical properties and the traditional CR, EPDM, SBR similar, with the advantages of simple process, no rubber odor, easy color mixing.   Because the aliphatic double bond has been saturated, it has the advantages of weather resistance, UV, oxygen, ozone and heat.   It can be used in various rubber/plastic blends or used in various thermoplastic rubber/plastics as impact resistant, non-slip, wear resistant, compression resistant, and cold resistant modification materials.   It has a soft touch similar to CR, SBR or PU foam, but the process is easier and does not cause odor or frosting problems.   Compared with other high foaming, low specific gravity soft foaming materials, it has better physical and dimensional stability.    Excellent tensile recovery and elongation.   Other characteristics include: good plasticity; high strength; good touch; high compression resistance; high flexibility; good weather resistance; good matte surface; high slip resistance and low temperature resistance.


【TPE Encyclopedia】Several types of TPE material surface precipitation

  I. Several types of TPE material surface precipitation   The surface precipitation of TPE material is mainly divided into 3 types, 1. spraying frost, 2. spraying wax, 3. spraying oil.   1、Spraying frost   One of the most common is spray frost, thermoplastic elastomer TPE-S spray frost is mainly due to the precipitation of antioxidants (antioxidants), the serious case of the material surface obviously a layer of whitening, but usually, do not touch not see whitening, but as long as a touch can be found obviously whitening (with powder), as follows.   TPE material whitening, in some cases, touch does not appear whitening phenomenon, but need to scrape hard, commonly known as "scraping white", this is usually due to the filler added too much, and the filler is not a good surface treatment. The usual solutions are: a. simply do not add filler, b. coupling treatment of filler, c . Scratch-resistant treatment of the material surface.   2、Spray wax   Common spray wax, can also be said to be an excess of lubricant, common polyethylene wax, stearic acid, stearate, erucic acid and other excess, there is a situation that needs to be noted that for silicone masterbatch (polysiloxane) and so on, itself tends to precipitate to the surface of the material, contact with the mold, add the amount, as little as possible. Some waxes are somewhat synergistic with each other, while others are more likely to cause precipitation.   Spray wax manifestation, generally will not appear scratch white phenomenon, but will appear shiny scratch, of course, in serious cases, but will be sticky feeling, if the material itself and the phenomenon of spray frost, it is sticky and white.   3、Spraying oil   The phenomenon of oil spraying, mainly because the material is filled with too much oil, in the case of low temperature, the material increases the crystallinity, resulting in part of the original distribution in the amorphous area of the oil migration to the surface, the other case, is the reverse, in the case of high temperature, SBS / SEBS and other material molecules increase the movement, reducing the ability to lock the oil, resulting in the oil also migrated to the surface.   The improvement of oil spraying phenomenon is mainly to make the filling oil match the SEBS/SBS base material as much as possible, and don't fill excessive oil for low molecular weight styrene elastomer. Paraffin-filled oils are relatively drier to the touch, but naphthenic oils are actually more compatible with SEBS/SBS.


Features and applications of "breathable" TPE films!

  TPE can be extruded to form self-supporting films for the lamination of apparel fabrics. tpe films can provide protection while ensuring gas flow, an indicator that can be measured by breathability. The usual trade use for the development of water and moisture permeable films is in the form of microporous forms such as expanded stretch PTFE films, various polyolefin films, and wet process polyurethanes. In fabric applications, TPE non-porous films have application advantages, such as abrasion resistance and physical properties. When the film is laminated to the fabric, small molecules such as water vapor can pass through the film by dissolution/diffusion. "Breathable" polymers are materials that have a high permeability to water vapor, not to airborne components such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, and in general, the higher the active ingredient in the polymer, the higher the permeability.   The transport behavior of water vapor molecules in a dense film is generally carried out by molecular diffusion (cf. absorption-diffusion model), using the vapor pressure difference between the two sides to generate a driving force. In order to reduce the transfer resistance, the film should have high permeability and low thickness, but the lower the film thickness is not better in terms of the physical properties of the film. The important parameters of microweather between the skin and the film are temperature and humidity. In order to maintain a stable thermodynamic balance between body temperature and the environment (as a definition of comfort). The heat generated by human activity should be i.e. the heat of the realm. The main principle of heat loss, especially during physical activity, is mainly evaporation of water and transport of steam to the environment. At the time of physical activity, the evaporation of 800 grams of water per hour from the human body corresponds to a heat loss of 1800 KJ, about 80% of the heat generated.   There are many factors that influence the permeability and respiratory properties of polymers. For example, the nature of the material's hydrophilicity, crystallinity, and filler content can all affect the polymer's transmission of vapor. tPEs are often used in medical materials as AB-structured malignant multistage copolymers. Elastomeric materials with acyl, urethane, and ester-based hard segments often provide usable mechanical properties that make them usable for the manufacture of films. Permeability is improved by manipulating the backbone of the TPE molecule, e.g., by normalizing the hydrophilic component to the affinity of the polymer for water.   In segmented TPE materials, permeation occurs mainly in the rubbery, elastic soft segment phase rather than through the hard segment phase. Therefore, the permeation properties are opposed to the variation of the hard segment content. Usually, the soft segment content mainly determines the water vapor permeability. The basic polyether soft segments used for TPE films are mainly PEO and PEG or PPO/PEO copolymers, but PTMG is also used. Complete PPO chain segments are basically not used in vapor permeable TPEs. Usually a mixture of different soft segments is used to balance the physical properties: e.g. PEO is more hydrophilic, while PTMG has excellent mechanical properties and does not swell as much as the former. Increasing the CH2/O2 ratio reduces the compatibility of the soft and hard segments. The molecular weight of the hydrophilic chain segment is in the same order of magnitude as other polyether-based TPEs, both (600-4000 g/mol).   Synthetic TPEs have the highest permeability, close to well-known hydrophilic materials such as cellulose and polyvinyl alcohol. One disadvantage of using PEO is that the film surface is too sticky. According to the absorption-diffusion model, vapor permeability is a function of the amount of permeate and the rate of diffusive motion. The high chain segment motion, confirmed by the glass state temperature of all PEO soft segments is 0°C, which promises a high diffusion coefficient. It is usually assumed that the high moisture transmission rate is related to the continuous soft segment phase. Water uptake is highly correlated with the soft segment PEO content and also with the soft segment molecular weight. Increasing the molecular weight of the soft segment while advancing the water absorption rate is believed to be related to the degree of separation of the soft and hard segments. Soft segments with low molecular weight usually yield films with strong physical properties. The high molecular weight soft segments line up into more pronounced PEO micro-regions, but the hard segments weaken and are able to absorb large amounts of water. The increase in water uptake usually shows an exponential increase, which can be explained by the physical cross-linking. These crosslinks give the swelling limits of the hydrophilic microregions. At low PEO content, the absorbed water is bound to PEO chain segments; a


0 degree TPE special material, hardness test knowledge

TPE on the market below 0 degree is a special material used for some special requirements.   Hardness range of TPE material   TPE, if not specified, generally refers to the granular polymer alloy material based on SEBS,SBS elastomer, with the addition of other operating oils, reinforcing plastic resins, fillers, compatibilizers, functional additives, etc. Some oils of SEBS,SBS elastomer (such as naphthenic oil and paraffin oil) have better solubility (oil absorption), and by solubilizing different proportions of oils, the hardness of the blending system can be regulated, and then blended into TPE alloy materials of different hardness. By dissolving different proportions of oil, the hardness of the blending system can be adjusted, and then co-mixed into different hardness of TPE alloy materials. Generally speaking, the hardness of TPE materials can be adjusted in the range of 0~120A (A refers to Shore A hardness, which will be described in detail next).   How to measure the hardness of TPE material   The A mentioned above refers to Shore A, which is the common way of expressing the hardness of rubber-like soft materials, and corresponds to Shore A. Shore A generally measures TPE or rubber materials in the hardness range of 10~95 A, and the test value is more accurate, and the hardness above 95 A is generally measured by Shore D, and accordingly there is Shore D. When the hardness of TPE is lower than When the hardness of TPE is lower than 10A, the result is not so accurate when tested with Shore hardness tester A, then generally use Shore hardness tester C to test, the unit of hardness is Shore C, also useful to measure the hardness unit OO.   General TPE degrees, refers to ShoreA, 0 degrees that is 0A, as mentioned above, SEBS has a very good oil absorption, the greater the proportion of oil, the softer the total mix into the TPE. When the oil is added to a certain boundary, the hardness of the TPE will be soft to Shore A hardness tester A table value shows 0 and can not be read, it can be considered that the hardness of the TPE material reached 0 degrees (A) or below 0 degrees (A), then only with Shore A hardness tester C to test the hardness close to 0A or below 0A super soft TPE material.   1, Shore A hardness tester, the pressure needle head is blunt, suitable for testing hardness 10 ~ 95A material,   2, Shore C hardness tester, pressure needle with curved surface, suitable for testing ultra-soft materials with hardness below 10A,   3, Shore D hardness tester, the pressure needle is sharp, suitable for testing materials with hardness above 95A.   Application of TPE material   TPE material with hardness lower than 0 degree is used in some super soft erotic goods, display props, shock absorbing cushions, seat cushion products and so on.


Hardness selection of TPE/TPR/TPU cover material

 TPE/TPR/TPU overlays are usually made by using two materials, hard plastic and soft rubber, for overlay bonding. There may be various choices of hard plastic materials according to product requirements (such as ABS, AS, GPPS, HIPS, PA, PC, PC/ABS, PE, PP, etc.), and the most common TPE/TPR/TPU soft plastic materials. The main analysis of TPE/TPR soft rubber material, TPE (usually refers to the SEBS class styrene thermoplastic elastomer modified material) belongs to the composite modified polymer alloy material, its unique advantage is to have a wide range of adjustable hardness.   Usually the hardness of the TPE used for covering the rubber range from 10 to 90 degrees (ShoreA), different application requirements of the product, the choice of TPE hardness, or there are certain rules to follow.   1, 10 ~ 40 degrees lower hardness TPE overlap injection molding. Often used in some soft contact requirements of the product, such as medical products, some high-end sports equipment handle, electronic products, etc.. At present, TPE/PP overlap molding can provide as low as 10 degree TPE grade; TPE/ABS&PC overlap molding can provide as low as 20 degree TPE, TPE/PA overlap molding can provide as low as 30 degree TPE.   2、45~65 degree medium hardness TPE overmolded. It is often used in the overmolding of power tool handles, kitchenware, knives and scissors, screwdrivers, daily tools, luggage accessories, etc. The hardness of human skin is usually around 55 degrees, usually this kind of hand contact with the overmolding products, TPE soft rubber material usually choose and human skin close to the hardness, in order to get the best contact comfort.   3, 70 ~ 90 degrees higher hardness TPE overlap molding. It is mainly used for overlapping injection molding products with flat surface, large overlapping surface and thin thickness, such as electronic appliances, digital games, cell phone IPAD, communication instrumentation products. This kind of thin products, flat, large area overmolded products, need TPE with high fluidity, low shrinkage, appropriate surface hardness and other characteristics, therefore, must use a higher hardness of TPE to achieve.   In the actual product case, different products, for TPE soft rubber material hardness has more strict requirements, hardness is generally provided by the customer, the supplier does not give advice on this. Unless the customer is developing new products independently and does not have a standard for hardness.