Teknor Apex: OW-GLOSS GRADES OF TOUGH, RESILIENT VINYL TPE YIELD RUBBER-LIKE MATTE APPEARANCE AND INHERENT ANTI-BLOCK PROPERTY
Plastics processors now can impart a rubber-like matte finish to products made with Flexalloy (R) compounds while still obtaining the advantages of these high-performance vinyl thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) over conventional flexible vinyl and other TPEs, it was announced today by Teknor Apex.
While new Flexalloy 9750 Series compounds have processing and physical properties comparable to those of the general-purpose Flexalloy 9100 Series, Teknor Apex has formulated them for applications where a low-gloss surface may be aesthetically desirable, as in certain consumer products and furniture trim. In addition, while glossy products tend to “block” or stick to each other, the low-gloss Flexalloy compounds exhibit anti-blocking properties that ease handling of films such as bin liners, flexible “accordion” hose like that on vacuum cleaners, and mating parts such as weather-stripping for windows and doors.
In such uses, Flexalloy compounds often provide better performance than standard TPEs, according to Philip R. Morin, industry manager for Teknor Apex’s Vinyl Division. “Besides exhibiting the look, feel, and elasticity of more widely known polyolefin and styrenic TPEs, Flexalloy products surpass them in tear and tensile strength and resistance to flexural fatigue,” Morin said. “Equally important, they retain the traditional advantages of vinyl over TPEs, including much better resistance to oils and fats and wider formulation versatility”
The enhanced performance of Flexalloy compounds also opens possibilities in applications where standard flexible vinyl has not been used. “Flexalloy products are not just flexible but truly elastic,” Morin said. “When compared with flexible vinyl compounds of the same hardness levels, they exhibit superior compression set, low-temperature flexibility, tear strength, and abrasion resistance.”
New Flexalloy 9750 compounds are available in Shore A hardnesses ranging from 35 to 80. Extensive information on other Flexalloy products is available in the Vinyl Division section of www.teknorapex.com.
Flexalloy TPEs are based on proprietary formulation and compounding technology developed by Teknor Apex and have no counterparts among competing raw material producers. They are based on ultra high molecular weight PVC resin, which differs considerably from the PVC used for compounding the vast bulk of vinyl formulations.