Ready-to-use Soft/Rigid Combo Materials Sustainably Accelerate Time to Market

Sabic and Lubrizol have pooled their resources to develop compatible material solutions suited for various applications in mobility and consumer electronics, among other sectors. The combination of soft and rigid materials can help end users advance their sustainability goals, enhance protection of ever-thinner and more vulnerable applications, and streamline manufacturing through part consolidation.

“Through our collaboration with Lubrizol, we provide [ready-to-use] material solutions with compatible chemistries that could accelerate time to market for our customers,” said Luc Govaerts, technology director, Sabic Polymers, Specialties BU. “This solution also enables our customers to develop more-sustainable applications, addressing an increasing trend across many industries.”

Materials further thin-wall molding

The materials feature Sabic’s LNP specialty compounds and copolymers, which function as rigid substrates, and Lubrizol’s soft Estane Eco thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs), which are two-shot injection molded onto the substrates. The Sabic thermoplastics potentially enable thin-wall molding to reduce raw material consumption or deliver chemical resistance for durability. Further, Lubrizol’s Estane Eco TPUs are formulated with bio-based content and are manufactured at certified ISCC+ facilities.

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Laptop application showcased

Potential applications for these complementary materials include laptops, cell phone cases, and other electronic devices where durability, drop protection, and a non-slip surface are needed. One potential application is a laptop case featuring glass-fiber-reinforced LNP Thermocomp compound as the rigid substrate and Estane Eco TPU as the soft, overmolded polymer.

The Sabic material provides high modulus, low warpage, ductility, and non-brominated/non-chlorinated flame retardance along with impact resistance and weatherability. The Lubrizol Estane Eco TPU offers chemical and abrasion resistance. These soft and rigid material combinations could also show promise for other industries where features such as ergonomics or enhanced haptics are needed.

“We recognized an industry need for soft and rigid thermoplastic combinations that provide high performance and good bonding strength,” said Jane Cai, senior business director APAC at Lubrizol. “But finding the right pairing can be time-consuming for customers. Lubrizol and Sabic combined our strengths and sustainable material portfolios to deliver proven compatible solutions that can help customers reduce their development time and costs and bring new designs and concepts to the market. With this approach, the possibilities are limitless.”