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Engel
Machinery & EquipmentMarket ReportsNewsrss6

Injection molding machine market forecast at $12.5 billion by 2025

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The injection molding machine market is growing significantly and offers opportunities for various manufacturers. The APAC region constitutes approximately 61.0% of the world’s population, and the manufacturing and processing sectors are growing rapidly in the region. The APAC is the largest injection molding machine market with China being the major market which is expected to grow significantly. The rising disposable incomes and rising standards of living in emerging economies in the APAC are the major drivers for this market

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ArticlesThermoplastic Elastomers & Urethanes

Adhesion of thermoplastic elastomers on polycarbonates for medical wearables

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Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and polycarbonates (PCs) offer an interesting combination of rigid and soft materials for housings and interfaces in wearable applications. However, strong adhesion between TPE and PC materials is critical to achieve durable devices that can withstand repeated use. A recent study conducted by Covestro and Teknor Apex, “Adhesion of TPEs on Polycarbonates for Medical Wearables,” examined the adhesion and chemical resistance of medical grade resins that are candidates for wearable applications. In the study, the team evaluated the adhesion of newly introduced TPE grades designed specifically for overmolding on various medical grade PC substrates.

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ArticlesThermoplastic Elastomers & Urethanes

Highly resilient Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanizate for automotive Sealing systems

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Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are a class of materials that combine the advantages of a rubber, such as excellent compression set for good sealing, with the processability of conventional thermoplastics. Thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) is a subset of TPEs produced from a blend of vulcanized-crosslinked rubber finely dispersed in a continuous thermoplastic matrix. TPVs are produced by dynamic vulcanization, whereby a rubber is cured/ vulcanized within a thermoplastic polymer while the polymers are undergoing intimate mixing or mastication at elevated temperatures. Elasticity, tensile properties and hardness of the TPV are controlled by the ratio of the harder thermoplastic phase to the softer rubber phase. It is well known that TPVs exhibit the advantageous sealing properties of conventional cured rubber, excellent physical properties, good high temperature resistance and outstanding chemical resistance. Due to these benefits Santoprene TPVs have become a workhorse material for a variety of automotive sealing applications. The applications for TPVs in automotive sealing include glass run channels, dynamic seals, cowl vent grille seals and outer belt line seals

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TPE
ArticlesThermoplastic Elastomers & Urethanes

Programmable shape change in bio-inspired thermoplastic elastomer bilayers

RubberWorld 3714 Views

In this study, Engage polyolefin thermoplastic elastomers (POEs) from Dow Chemical are used, which are random ethylene-octene copolymers with relatively low melting temperatures (Tm), and elastic recovery that is tunable and dependent on comonomer content. POE bilayers are molded, but unlike other natural and synthetic systems, each layer does not contain any anisotropy. So there is no orientation difference between the layers. Upon stretching and releasing, the bilayers exhibit bending, curling and twisting, depending on the elastic recovery difference between the layers and the applied strain. This has been termed mechanical programming. The shape change can be further controlled through the length (L) to width (W) ratio, L/W, of the formed bilayers

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Twin screw
ArticlesThermoplastic Elastomers & Urethanes

Useful tips for the production of TPE on twin-screw compounder

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The process for compounding thermoplastic elastomer formulations is comprised of multiple unit operations. These typically include, but are not limited to, feedstock introduction, polymer/ polymer or polymer/filler melt-mixing, distributive/dispersive downstream mixing of oil extenders/minerals/additives, removal of volatiles, and pressurization for die discharge. While each unit operation has an impact on process productivity and quality of the finished product, melt mixing and downstream feeding/filler incorporation have a significantly greater impact than the others in TPE compounding processes

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silicone surfactant
Market ReportsNewsrss6Silicone & Medical

Silicone surfactants market is poised to grow by $80.8 million through 2025

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The report on silicone surfactants market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the increasing demand for polyurethane foam and rising demand from personal care industry. In addition, increasing demand for polyurethane foam is anticipated to boost the growth of the market as well.
The silicone surfactants market analysis include end-user segment and geographic landscape

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ArticlesFeatured

Ultra high Mooney branched EPDM: Easy to process high filler loading compounds

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many EPDM grades are still produced using conventional Ziegler-Natta catalysts, molecular catalysts for EPDM production have been adopted readily and have grown rapidly. Dow has introduced its Advanced Molecular Catalyst (AMC) technology as a new benchmark in the EPDM industry by enabling even higher process sustainability and catalyst efficiency

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ArticlesFeatured

Diamine cured HNBR for improved long term compression set on thin sectioned articles

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HNBR is rated for continuous use at temperatures from125°C to 150°C, depending on several compounding factors, with the choice of cure system being one of the most critical. While a sulfur cure can provide flex fatigue and high tensile properties, it does not have high temperature stability. Peroxide cured HNBR is the only suitable cure system for long term, 150°C temperature resistance. Peroxide cured HNBR also provides high modulus and low compression set, making it an ideal material for sealing applications. HNBR is the sealing material of choice in many automotive and oil well applications where high mechanical strength is needed, in addition to high temperature and chemical resistance

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ArticlesFeatured

Damping materials based on liquid poly(butadienes): Structure-property relationships

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Liquid poly(butadiene) resins can be defined as oligomers with a degree of polymerization (Dp) of 100 and molecular weights below the critical molecular weight. These materials have rheology defined as viscous flow at temperatures of less than 60°C. In this regime, properties such as glass transition temperature and viscosity are determined by both microstructure and macrostructure. In applications such as adhesives, thermoplastic modification or tire compounding, liquid poly(butadienes) are often used as high value additives, imparting specific performance enhancement

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ArticlesFeatured

Recycled polypropylene modified with hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers for automotive applications

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Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely used polyolefins owing to its low density, low cost, high softening temperature and easy processing. PP is used in the form of molded pieces, sheets, films and fibers in medical, cosmetic and electronic applications. In the automotive industry, it represents 9% of the market, and is used in dashboards, door panels, bumpers and grilles. PP based composites are increasingly becoming preferred materials in automotive applications, and in particular for both exterior and interior parts. In the automotive industry, PP based composites are generally used for the manufacture of bumpers.

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