KRAIBURG TPE presents further more sustainable product solutions: Recycling Content TPE. Customers now have access to various compounds with significantly higher recycled content from post-industry and/or post-consumer waste streams across the entire hardness range, i.e. also in the low ShA range. The new compounds also provide adhesion options to PA, PC/ABS or PP. The TPE manufacturer from Waldkraiburg, Germany, is thus responding to the growing demand and is supplying ready-to-use solutions.
KRAIBURG TPE, a global manufacturer of custom-engineered TPEs, announces the launch of its latest product line. These solutions expand the group of THERMOLAST® R compounds and make it possible to use a high percentage of recycled materials. In comparison to the already established products, up to 70% can be achieved even in materials with low Shore A hardness. They are an important milestone in the development of innovative compounds with adhesion properties. The launch is KRAIBURG TPE’s response to the increasing market demand for more environmentally friendly materials with a proportion of post-industrial and/or post-consumer recycled materials (PIR, PCR). Recycling Content TPEs are consistent with customers’ sustainability vision and support customers in achieving their own sustainability targets.
The new high-performance compounds are specially tailored to meet the requirements of different industries and market segments and allow adhesion to PA, PC/ABS or PP. This combination of properties for single, two-component or multicomponent parts combined with high proportions of recycled material of up to 79% is completely new in KRAIBURG TPE’s product range.
An overview of the new thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs):
- Recycling Content TPE with adhesion to PA is the first TPE worldwide with a proportion of PCR and PIR materials of 43 to 60% depending on their hardness. It can be used for a large number of applications for two-component parts with adhesion to PA. Different hardnesses ranging from 40 to 90 Shore A are available.
- Recycling Content TPE with adhesion to PC and ABS has a proportion of post-industrial and post-consumer recycled materials between 42 and 54% depending on the hardness required. It is suitable for a wide range of multicomponent parts that require adhesion to ABS and PC or other technical thermoplastics. Different hardnesses ranging from 40 to 70 Shore A are available.
- Second-generation Universal PCR TPE is available with a proportion of recycled materials of up to 79%. These materials provide a wide variety of possible uses for applications that require adhesion to PP. The materials are available in a wide hardness range from 30 to 90 Shore A and, with their high proportion of sustainable materials, they are a further development of the Universal PCR compounds launched in 2022.
In addition, the compounds provide reliable quality, are immediately available and can be colored: All new TPEs are available in natural colors and can be colored in many different ways depending on customers’ wishes and requirements. This excellent coloring also allows maximum flexibility in design.
The latest recycling solutions with adhesion provide processing companies with comprehensive options to meet industry’s and consumers’ changing requirements. KRAIBURG TPE’s Recycling Content TPEs are intended in particular for product designers, product engineers and product managers in industry market segments that focus on power tools, electrics and electronics (E&E). In the consumer segment, various usage scenarios for household applications as well as sports and leisure applications can be implemented. In general, these applications comprise handles and damping elements.
“With Recycling Content TPEs, we are making a contribution to achieving ambitious sustainability targets for products of high technical quality. Sustainability is a core competency of KRAIBURG TPE and with these new compounds, we are closing recycling loops and acknowledge our responsibility towards the environment and future generations,” summarizes Eugen Andert, Project Manager Advance Development at KRAIBURG TPE.
The positioning of the compounds in the market is focusing on sustainability and saving resources. Using these compounds will help customers to effectively reduce the carbon footprint of their final products, while ensuring durable solutions. Due to the chemical structure of the compounds, KRAIBURG TPE stands out from the market and combines performance with the concept of sustainability. This new product series is available immediately.
