Extrusion
In the extrusion process the TPE pellets are poured into a hopper are heated in the barrel and turned into a melt by this heat and shear. A screw carries the melted plastic through a shaped die to produce continuous lengths of shapes with the same profile, which are then cooled by air or water.
Our TPE compounds are easily extruded into single and complex profiles. They can also be co-extruded with other materials to yield a part with both rigid and soft components. They exhibit improved profile flexibility.
The SEBS compounds, with their saturated intermediate blocks, are very stable against thermal degradation. On the other hand, the SBS compounds degrade if overheated or if a screw with excessively high compression ratio is used.
The information below is intended as a general overview, settings may vary depending on the specific grade selected. Please contact us for detailed processing information
SEBS based materials
Equipment | Extruders used for polyolefines are best for TPE compounds |
|---|---|
Length/diameter (L/D) ratio | Min. 20:1 |
Compression ratio | Min. 3.5:1 |
Melt temperature | Normally 150 – 210°C, although temperatures up to 260°C are permissible |
Temperature profile | Feed Zone to Die 170, 180, 190, 200 and 210°C is suitable, can be adjusted to suit grade and screw. (Lower temperature for the softer compounds.) |
Screw design | Best extruded using screws that have a high compression ratio (3:1) and long, fairly shallow feed zones. Screws with compression ratio of 3.0 – 4.5 are normally preferable. The softer compounds generally give a lower output at increased backpressure |
SBS based materials
Equipment | SBS based compounds can be extruded on virtually all types of extruders for thermoplastics. Since SBS compounds display less swelling than polyolefines, the length of the form giving part of the die is less critical |
|---|---|
Length/diameter (L/D) ratio | Min. 20:1 |
Compression ratio | Min. 2.5:1 |
Melt temperature | 150 – 205°C, should not exceed 205°C |
Temperature profile | 150°C at infeed zone to 205°C at the die, gives highest output |
Screw design | Compression ratio should be low, the melt sections should be fairly deeply threaded and the L/D ratio should be >20:1 |
Contact Our Experts
Ulf Ericson
Key Account Manager, HEXPOL TPE AB
Michael Fischer
Key Account Manager TPE, HEXPOL TPE GmbH
Martin Bradbury
Senior Key Account Manager for HEXPOL TPE Ltd
Processing guides
You can also visit our Downloads page for more brochures and information.
Lifocork Processing Guide
TPE Chemical Resistance
TPE Processing Guide
TPE Processing Guide – Adhesion
TPE Processing – Problem Solving
