K 2013: New kid on the TPE block

The Swedish HEXPOL TPE group (Hall 8a, stand H18) is a relatively new kid on the TPE block. After diversifying into TPE in 2010 with the acquisition of the ELASTO businesses in Britain and Sweden, Hexpol went on to acquire German TPE compounder Müller Kunststoffe in 2012, and to successfully establish a key global organization for TPE and polymer compounding that is presenting its latest advances in TPE and flexible polymer solutions at K2013.

According to Sven-M Druwen, European sales coordinator, HEXPOL TPE has one of the most comprehensive portfolios in the industry; covering TPS, TPO, TPV, TPU, soft PVC, cork compounds, color and additive masterbatch. “At K2013, we'll be demonstrating why we're a single source for customized flexible polymer compounds,” he said.

“We're looking forward to meeting up with new and existing customers and presenting HEXPOL TPE as a global specialist for intelligent TPE and flexible polymer solutions.”

Among the innovations on display will be Lifocork; flexible polymer compounds which combine natural cork with thermoplastic raw materials. Lifocork compounds offer low densities, natural cork haptics, UV resistance and a non-slip surface. They can be processed using typical thermoplastic processing methods such as injection molding, extrusion or thermoforming.

Hexpol TPE also offers a range of TPEs engineered to address the demands of the medical device industry. At K2013, its medical team will on be hand to provide in-depth advice on the use of TPE in medical device applications. "The right TPE formulation is the key to a safe and successful medical product,” explains Niklas Ottosson, medical technical manager at Hexpol TPE. “Our experience in this sector means we've developed our Mediprene TPE compounds to offer the right combination of mechanical properties, regulatory compliance, formulation stability and biocompatibility status. We've engineered custom formulations for a number of medical device applications including IV systems, syringe plunger seals, tubing, face masks and medical packaging".

HEXPOL will also highlight several innovations in their Dryflex TPE family; including TPE with optimized compression set, conductive TPE and adhesion compounds for two and three component applications which offer easy processing with bonding to a range of substrates such as PA, PC, ABS and POM.