At this year’s Fakuma exhibition (Hall B1-1115), Hexpol TPE will present a further expansion of their Dryflex Circular TPE materials containing post-consumer and/or post-industrial recycled content.
“Our first TPEs with recycled content were sold in 2005, and we’re constantly evaluating recyclate sources”, commented Dr. Thomas Köppl, Group Product Manager, Hexpol TPE. “These latest developments are part of our ongoing work to bring TPEs to the market that deliver on performance, product safety and push possibilities using recycled materials”.
TPEs with High Levels of PCR Content
New TPE materials have been developed with higher levels of post-consumer recyclate (PCR) content. TPEs with 20 to 75% PCR content are available in hardness range 40 to 95 Shore A. Various colour options are available, including natural. Compared to equivalent virgin TPE grades, these PCR grades enable a product carbon footprint (PCF) reduction of up to 35%.
Adhesion TPE with PCR/PIR Content
Also newly developed are TPEs with recycled content for multi-component applications. TPEs with 35-60% PCR/PIR content that offer adhesion to PP, PA, PC, PC/ABS and other thermoplastics are available. The TPEs have been tested according to the VDI 2019 standard. For example, Dryflex PCR 68.01B270, which will be used for power tools, is a 68 Shore A TPE with 60% recyclate, it has fracture pattern D with 5.0 N/mm in peel strength with PA 6.6 GF30.
TPE with Recycled Content for Automotive
Hexpol TPE supports the automotive value chain to increase the use of recycled materials. New TPEs with up to 75% recycled content (PCR and PIR) are available for several applications, including interior mats and air deflector seals.
TPEs with 25 to 50% PCR sourced from within the automotive industry are available for exterior applications such as mud flaps and other soft trims. They comply with new targets proposed by the European Commission as part of the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive. These TPEs are already in use with several European OEMs. They enable a product carbon footprint (PCF) reduction of around 25% compared to equivalent virgin TPE grades.
TPEs for interior applications, with PCR/PIR content up to 75%, have been tested to automotive standards for odour and emissions. For example, Dryflex PCR 853405 with 85 Shore A and 25% PCR content achieved 3.0 for odour (VDA 270, B3), 65 µg/g for thermodesorption VOC (VDA 278) and 607 µg/g for thermodesorption FOG (VDA 278).
