SHF Vulcanized TPEs promote high flow performance.
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Press Release Summary:
Offered in 6 grades ranging in hardness from 55-85 Shore A, NexPrene® 9500 SHF (super high flow) vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers (TPVs) can be processed temperatures up to 500°F without degradation. These non-hygroscopic, UV-stable materials do not require pre-drying prior to processing and are suited for hard-to-fill molds. Resistant to chemicals and oil, colorable product use results in controlled consistent gloss levels and less apparent weld lines.
Original Press Release:
Solvay Engineered Polymers Announces New Series of NexPrene® 9500 SHF Vulcanized Thermoplastic Elastomers with Super High Flow Performance
Materials in new series are 60% lower in viscosity than conventional TPVs
Mansfield, Texas; August 10, 2006 - Solvay Engineered Polymers, Inc., has introduced a new series of vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers (TPVs) that feature the company's proprietary cure technology. Designated NexPrene® 9500 SHF (super high flow) materials, TPVs in the new series exhibit viscosities that are up to 60% lower than those of conventional thermoplastic elastomers.
Efficient processing, excellent appearance
There are currently six grades in the new 9500 SHF series, ranging in hardness from 55 to 85 Shore A. Each material has been developed to offer injection molders higher melt-flow rates, shorter fill times, longer flow paths, and lower injection pressures. And, like every product in the NexPrene 9000 family, they are non hygroscopic, so they require no pre-drying prior to processing.
"The viscosity levels exhibited by these materials are quite remarkable," says Hamid Tavakoli, the company's product manager on these materials. "The new SHF grades flow so much better that injection molding cycles can be as much as 15% shorter than with traditional vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers."
Initial evaluations molded parts indicate that surface aesthetics attainable using NexPrene 9500 SHF materials are superior to those achieved using conventional thermoplastic elastomers. "Gloss levels are controlled and consistent," points out Marketing Manager Jim Haseley, "and weld lines are much less apparent."
High performance, lower costs in automotive glazing applications
Materials in the NexPrene 9500 SHF series are very stable, and they can be processed at higher temperatures than standard TPVs. These products can be processed in a wide temperature window up to 500 °F (260 °C) without showing signs of degradation. Processing at elevated temperatures accelerates and improves bonding to other TPVs in applications such as corner moldings for automotive glazing.
Among the uses for which the new series was developed is the encapsulation of window glass, which typically involves lower temperatures (between 375 °F and 475 °F - 190 °C and 245 °C), and lower molding pressures to avoid glass breakage. At such temperatures, the new NexPrene® 9500 series materials exhibit viscosities that remain 40 to 60% below those of traditional TPVs, which can contribute to lower scrap rates and lower costs.
Colorable and UV stable
In soft-touch or flexible injection molded parts, the new NexPrene SHF materials are ideal for hard-to fill molds, such as parts with very thin walls or those involving long or complex flow paths. The excellent surface aesthetics produced by these elastomers is particularly important to designers of automotive interiors.
An extensive body of weathering data has shown these materials to be UV stable in use. In addition, these products exhibit chemical resistance, oil resistance, and compression set comparable to thermoset rubber.
Because the cure technology common to all NexPrene 9000 materials results in a clean, consistent natural, the new SHF materials can be easily produced in black or in a wide range of colors, including the lightest pastels.
Experience, resources, and global support
Solvay Engineered Polymers, Inc., is the leading supplier of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) materials and technology to the North American automotive industry, with significant sales to European and Asian carmakers. The company is headquartered in Mansfield, Texas, with sales and marketing operations and an Automotive Applications Development Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Its manufacturing, distribution, and research and development facilities are located in Mansfield and Grand Prairie, Texas. Additional resources in Shirley, Massachusetts are dedicated to the development and manufacture of the company's line of vulcanized thermoplastic elastomers (TPVs).
The production and engineering operations of Solvay Engineered Polymers are certified to the standards of ISO/TS 16949:2002 for quality systems. More information about its products and capabilities can be found at solvayengineeredpolymers.com.
Solvay Engineered Polymers is a member of the Solvay Group, an international chemical and pharmaceutical group headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The Solvay Group, whose companies employ about 30,000 people in 50 countries, recorded consolidated sales for 2005 of EUR 8.6 billion, generated by its three sectors: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay is listed on the Euronext 100 index of top European companies. Details are available at www.solvay.com.
Product Contacts:
Kevin Cai
TPV Product Manager
Solvay Engineered Polymers, Inc.
Phone: (817)792-1824
Fax: (817)792-2850
e-mail: kevin.cai@solvay.com
Jim Haseley
TPV Marketing Manager
Solvay Engineered Polymers, Inc.
Phone: (248)391-5894
Fax: (248)391-9517
e-mail: jim.haseley@solvay.com
Synco de Vogel
Market Development Engineer
Solvay Engineered Polymers GmbH
MaaBstrasse 28
69123 Heidelberg, Germany
Phone: (+49) 06221 82816 18
Fax: (+49)06221 82816 10
e-mail: Synco.De-Vogel@solvay.com
