New Thermoplastic Elastomers Offer Adhesion to Polyketones
International compounding group HEXPOL TPE has succeeded in developing materials for adhesion to polyketone substrates during multi-component injection moulding. The TPE compounds open new possibilities in application development and product design.
Polyketones have an elevated melting point (220 – 255°C) and are often used for high-performance applications in the automotive industry and technical components in mechanical engineering. In addition to good resistance to chemicals and hydrolysis, polyketones are characterised by their high wear resistance. The special TPE compounds expand the group’s Dryflex 2K portfolio of adhesion grades. They do not require the use of a primer or adhesive to adhere to polyketone, which makes the production process more economical, faster and simpler.
The special adhesion grade Dryflex UV 60.01B177-1 has a hardness of 60 Shore A and is characterised by very good tensile strength combined with excellent elongation properties. The TPE compound can be processed using conventional thermoplastic fabricating equipment, it also has good chemical resistance and a wide processing window. The adhesion of this grade to polyketone is greater than 3 N/mm (measured according to VDI 2019:2016-04).
“We are very proud of the development of these special compounds. It is not only the result of continuous research and development work, but also underlines our aim to bring innovative and novel materials to the market. They offer our customers real added value.” commented Dr. Peter Ryzko, Managing Director of HEXPOL TPE GmbH in Lichtenfels.
The Dryflex B177 compounds are available in various degrees of hardness in the range of 40 -70 Shore A. They also offer adhesion to a range of engineering thermoplastics such as PA, ABS or PMMA, and their related blends, thereby covering a wide variety of materials for multi-component applications. As with all compounds from HEXPOL TPE, modifications to the Dryflex B177 series can be individually adapted to customer requirements.
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Köppl, Group Product Manager HEXPOL TPE added “The new compounds are another example of the high-performing materials we’re delivering for the automotive industry. We’re giving our customers solutions to those hard to solve technical challenges. Those include for example materials with adhesion to diverse engineering thermoplastics for complex part geometries.”
ENDS
About HEXPOL TPE
HEXPOL TPE is a global polymer compounding group specializing in Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) for key industries such as consumer, medical, packaging, automotive and construction. Driven by a core belief in being the easiest company to do business with, HEXPOL TPE is dedicated to delivering a trusted combination of application know-how, R&D, production capabilities and comprehensive technical services. As part of the HEXPOL group of companies, we share an extensive global footprint covering EU, Asia-Pacific and North America, enabling us to support our customers worldwide.
