K 2013: Teknor Apex restructures TPE brands

At K 2013, Teknor Apex Company will introduce a restructuring of its well-known thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) brands that will enable it to serve as a single source of multiple compounds for European plastics processors in industries as diverse as automotive, medical, consumer products, and wire and cable (Hall 06 / C54-3). 

All TPEs applicable to a particular end-use sector will now be grouped under a single brand, regardless of how widely the compounds differ in terms of polymer chemistry. Teknor Apex employs the industry’s broadest range of TPE chemistries and for the first time can produce compounds spanning the entire range of these chemistries at its plants in Belgium and the UK. Included are many Teknor Apex TPEs developed in the USA and previously unavailable in Europe.

For example, the Sarlink? brand once consisted exclusively of thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) compounds but has been expanded to include styrenic and olefinic blends—until now produced by Teknor Apex only in the USA. “Today Sarlink represents a complete solution for the transportation market,” said Ger Vroomen, senior automotive market manager. “For designers of automotive sealing systems, in particular, Teknor Apex can provide a TPV or styrenic compound as an alternative to EPDM rubber, depending on customer requirements, and it is the only supplier in a position to do so.” 

Similarly, the company’s Elexar?, Medalist?, and Monprene? brands now include all TPE types designed for use in electrical/electronic, medical, and consumer-product applications, respectively.

“Unlike TPE compounders that focus on a single chemistry and push that product into the marketplace, Teknor Apex uses a ‘polymer-neutral’ approach, recommending the compound that is precisely best one for the target application,” said Stef Hordijk, strategic market manager. “The breadth of our product portfolio also enables customers to purchase multiple compounds from Teknor Apex, obtaining the logistical advantages of single-sourcing as well as access to our company’s decades of experience in transportation, consumer and industrial, electrical and electronic, medical, and wire and cable markets.”

The Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex works with four broad polymer families based on differing TPE chemistries: 1) styrene block copolymers (SBCs), including styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), hydrogenated styrene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS), and hydrogenated styrene-isoprene/butadiene-styrene (SEEPS); 2) thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs); 3) olefinics, including blends of polypropylene or polyethylene with olefinic TPE or with olefin block copolymer (OBC); and 4) bondable TPEs that can be over-molded or coextruded with many polyolefin, styrenic, and engineering resins.

The newly restructured TPE brands from Teknor Apex include:

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