An Introduction

With their excellent service and processing features, thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are among our most versatile polymers in today’s market. Many vital end-user sectors, including consumer items, electronics, medical equipment, automobiles, and more, benefit from TPEs because of their cost-effectiveness and versatility. Learn everything you need to know about TPEs in this detailed guide. You should also know about the potential differences between TPE and TPV.

What is Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)?

A thermoplastic rubber, commonly known as a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), is a copolymer or compound that combines thermoplastic with elastomeric. TPEs have thermoplastic properties above their melting points, allowing them to be molded into finished products.

What is the process of making a Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)?

A thermoplastic elastomer is created by combining two or more monomers in either a block or a graft polymerization technique. It is possible to generate long-chain molecules with diverse hard and soft segment blocks using block approaches. Graft polymerization involves attaching polymer chains as branches to one another.

Thermal stability is achieved by using one of the monomers to develop a hard or crystalline segment. This component can soften and flow under shear because of the chemical cross-links of thermoset rubber. In addition, a soft or amorphous segment is formed in the other monomer, which adds to the TPE’s elasticity.

There are additional options for copolymer variation with graft techniques since both the backbone monomer and the attached branches might have different properties. However, the environmental and fluid resistance in block and graft manufacturing procedures is predictable.

TPEs are often made into pellets and injected into injection molding machines in the same way as rigid thermoplastics. Depending on the application, colorants may be supplied automatically or manually at the injection molding machine.

Are Thermoplastic Elastomers Safe to Use?

Thermoplastic elastomers are suitable for use in various products because of their low toxicity and conformance with medical and food requirements. Soft and inviting, these materials are ideal for many different consumer products because of their great mechanical qualities, powerful haptics, and flexibility. TPEs are widely used in the food industry and medical industry, in fact it is very popular.

In food contact applications like baby spoons and healthcare applications like dental guards, TPEs are safe to use, especially at room temperature.

Learn more about Santoprene Food Grade Tubing.

Medical applications of TPEs.

Medical device makers are increasingly turning to thermoplastic elastomers for parts that need to be flexible and elastic. As an alternative to PVC or thermoset rubber, TPE compounds are now being used in a wide range of medical devices and devices in the patient care industry.

Learn more about our Santoprene Medical Grade Tubing.

List down the applications of Thermoplastic Elastomers.

Since TPEs may be utilized in various applications, they have become a popular choice for manufacturers. Molding and extrusion procedures may be completed using plastic machines in as little as 20 seconds. It’s also possible to recycle them after they’ve been processed.

There is a wide range of uses for TPEs in the Automobile Sector, Medical and Health Care, Building and Construction, a Wide range of Industrial Applications, Consumer Products, in Food processing plants as Food Grade Tubing ,  home appliances, roofing materials, and many more.

What are the Pros of Thermoplastic Elastomers?

In addition to their manufacturing ease, material qualities, recyclability, and uses, TPEs provide various benefits over thermoset rubbers. Which includes:

• There is little or no compounding and no requirement for reinforcing agents, stabilizers, or cure systems in the production of TPEs.
• TPE compounds can be colored with a wide variety of dyes, allowing for various applications.
• TPEs have strong thermal characteristics and temporal stability across a Wide Operating temperature range of:-60° C to + 135° C (-81° F to +275° F).
• As with plastics, the elastic qualities of TPE materials may be recycled and reused, but they also have the properties of rubber, which cannot be recycled.
• There are several advantages to using TPEs over other materials, including their outstanding flexural fatigue resistance, high impact strength and flexibility, high tear and abrasion resistance, low specific gravity, high chemical resistance, and low compression set.
• Certain engineering plastics may also be co-injected and co-extruded with TPEs.
• TPEs characteristics include excellent chemical resistance to fluids such as alcohols, Acids, Alkalis, Oils, and Lubricants just to name a few. Learn more about our Chemical resistant Santoprene tubing here.
• TPEs are RoHS Compliant and is also available in FDA compliant, USP Class VI compliant options.
• TPEs are available in wide range of durometer hardness which starts from 30 Shore A to all the way to 90 Shore A and up to 50 Shore D. At SantopSeal, we work with the custom durometer hardness requirement of the customer and have the capability to extrude various hardness durometer TPE.

What are the technical terms one should be aware of when dealing or using the TPE and TPE products?

• Hardness: When selecting a thermoplastic elastomer, hardness is frequently the first consideration (TPE). Product hardness ranges from 30 Shore A (the softest) to 95 Shore A and upto 50 shore D(hardest). A material’s hardness is defined as its ability to resist indentation under a static load. In addition to hardness, other essential physical parameters, such as tensile and flexural modulus, are also connected.
• Compression set: A material’s compression set is the deformation that remains after a force is removed from it.
• Tensile at Break: Tensile Strength (TS) is the maximum stress that can be applied to a plastic specimen before it breaks. TS at break quantifies this maximum stress. Brittle failure can occur when a material breaks abruptly, however, deformation or elongation can occur before a material breaks.
• Elongation at Break: The ratio of the modified length to the initial length following the fracturing of the test specimen is known as the elongation at break, or fracture strain. A natural plant fiber’s capacity to withstand shape change without cracking is exemplified.
• Service temperature or operating temperature: The service temperature specification specifies the lowest and maximum temperatures that a product may sustain when being applied to a substrate. An operational temperature is the temperature range within which electrical or mechanical equipment may operate in its local ambient environment.
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA): The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biological products, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and radiation-emitting goods.
• National Sanitation Foundation (NSF): Most commonly used standards are NSF 61 and NSF 51. NSF International, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a product testing, inspection, and certification organization. When you purchase NSF certified foodservice products, it means:  The manufacturer of foodservice products uses only FDA approved raw materials. Products passed numerous NSF testing for material safety, design, construction, and product performance. A guarantee that harmful chemicals won’t seep into and contaminate the food of your customers. Products are commercial dishwasher safe and will not likely harbor bacteria
• United States Pharmacopeial (USP): The United States Pharmacopeia is a national pharmacopoeia produced annually by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, a nonprofit organization that controls both the trademark and the pharmacopeial itself. The common USP standard used is USP Class VL for the testing of the biocompatibility of the material for use in medical applications.
• Military Specifications (MIL): A United States defence standard, frequently referred to as a military standard, “MIL-STD”, “MIL-SPEC”, or (informally) “MilSpecs”, is used by the US Department of Defense to assist in achieving standardization objectives.
• Chemical compatibility: Chemical compatibility is a property of a material that indicates how stable it is when combined with another chemical. If two compounds can react chemically, they are deemed incompatible.
• Flame retardant: Flame retardants are chemicals that are added to materials to prevent the ignition of a fire or to restrict its growth. Since the 1970s, they have been employed in a variety of consumer and industrial items to reduce the flammability of materials.
• UV Resistant: Ultraviolet resistance refers to a material’s capacity to tolerate degradation caused by ultraviolet light exposure. If a polymer has limited resistance to ultraviolet light, it may fail prematurely or unintentionally as a result of degradation.
• Extrusion: Extrusion is a process in which a material is deformed plastically by applying a force that causes the material to flow through an opening or die. The material takes on the cross-sectional profile of the die and, assuming the material has adequate characteristics, retains that form in the final extrudate.
• Injection molding: Injection moulding is a manufacturing technology that enables the mass production of parts. It works by injecting molten materials into a mold. Typically, it is used in mass production to create thousands of similar things.

Conclusion

Thermoplastic elastomers widely used in many industries since they offer many attractive qualities. Additionally, TPEs can be processed and colored with ease, are safe, and are extensively utilized in the automotive and aerospace sectors and the medical field.

Commercial TPEs are being used in place of other materials, such as ordinary rubber since they provide varied qualities at various costs. TPE has several disadvantages, but the benefits far exceed the downsides in most applications. In addition, because thermoplastic elastomers can be recycled and reprocessed, they are a more ecologically friendly alternative to other polymers.

At SantopSeal Corporation, We specialize in the extrusion of the TPE and make the custom sealing solutions such as extruded seals, gasket, chemical resistant tubing, food-grade tubing, medical-grade tubing, o ring cords and o rings from the TPE. We work with various custom requirements of the customer and provide them with the best product with superior quality and the shortest lead time in the industry. Please contact us at info@santopseal.com or at 412-444-1888 to discuss your custom requirements.