In joint testing by Teknor Apex and Eastman, Medalist TPEs over-molded onto Eastman Tritan copolyester yielded durable bond for grips, gaskets, and other soft/rigid items. The tests demonstrated a strong, chemical-resistant bond between a TPE and a clear copolyester substrate.

New-to-the-market German compounder Heroplas specializes in the manufacture of PP, PE, and TPE in very small batches. The company has outfitted its production with two Coperion ZSK twin screw extruders. Both the ZSK 26 Mc18 and the ZSK 45 Mc18 stand out with high flexibility in configuration and comfortable operation. Together, they form the basis of short setup times for frequently occurring recipe changes, ensuring the company can efficiently manufacture specialized compounds, even in spite of the minute quantities involved.

At Foam Expo North America from 13 – 15 July 2021 in Novi, MI, USA – stand 1903 – Rampf Group, Inc. is presenting its technology to upcycle polyurethane wastes generated by foam manufacturers and converting them to polyols utilising multifunctional plants for the upcycling process.

According to Oerlikon Barmag, polyurethane has become an integral part of our everyday lives, e.g. in the construction industry or in automobile building, in sports and leisure or in manufacturing furniture, for insulating or for sound-proofing. Its applications are as diverse as the respective manufacturing processes are complex. At this year’s PU China – taking place in Shanghai from 28 – 30 July 2021 – the company will be exhibiting (Stand 225) its precision metering pumps with tailor-made solutions even for the most demanding tasks in the chemicals industry, increased productivity and durability.

Installed in a wide range of locations within a vehicle, seals are used, among other things, to prevent ingress of water into vehicle interiors through doors, engine compartments, trunk lids or other areas. However, contact and movement between rubber components and those made of materials such as glass, plastic or metal can often result in unwelcome noise. In severe cases, movement is so inhibited that components begin to slide across each other in a jerky fashion known as the stick-slip effect.

According to KraussMaffei, converting clean industrial waste or contaminated mixed waste from the “Green Dot” system into pure polymers or even complex recompounds – plastics recycling is a highly diverse and extremely challenging task. As an experienced machine manufacturer and material expert, KraussMaffei's extrusion division brings a great deal of expertise to the table – perfect prerequisites for sustained success in this important growth market. The company said its extrusion technology is an ideal choice for plasticising and degassing process steps as well as for repelletising and recompounding.

Hankook Tyre UK announced that it will be exhibiting at the Commercial Vehicle Show (hall 5, stand 5B50) – the largest and most comprehensive road transport and commercial vehicle event in the UK from 31 August to 2 September 2021 at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Center (NEC).

Huntsman has developed a new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) grade for technical extrusion parts and blown film applications that is said to offer significant improvements over previous generation technologies when it comes to durability, production efficiency and reducing manufacturing waste. According to the company, Irogran A 85 P 4394 HR TPU is the latest addition to a well-established family of elastomer products from Huntsman, which are renowned for their performance in a diverse range of industrial and consumer applications.

Hexcel has presented a wide range of composite innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, wind energy, recreation, and marine markets at JEC Composites Connect, a two-day digital event for the composites industry, which was held from 1 – 2 June 2021. At its virtual stand, Hexcel showcased a variety of composite products including:

Danish researchers have developed a chemical recycling method for polyurethane (PU) targeted at handling end-of-life products. This new technology is considered an important new step towards a circular plastic economy for polyurethane. The method breaks down polyurethane into chemical building blocks that serve as feedstock for new PU products. Importantly, the chemical recycling process is robust and will, for the first time, be able to convert a wide variety of different PU materials, said the researchers.