Teknor Apex will be launching its new series of styrenic block copolymer elastomers at Fakuma 2015.

The materials exhibit performance comparable to thermoplastic vulcanisates (TPVs), which are widely used in window gaskets, while offering new options for building product manufacturers.

Teknor Apex

Window gasket shown in blue.

Unlike most TPVs used for weatherproof seals in metal, wood, or PVC window frames, Monprene IN-23000 Series styrenic block copolymer compounds are readily available in small lots and pre-colored grades and require no pre-drying.

Some grades in the new Monprene IN-23000 series can be processed with the same tooling used for PVC profiles at similar throughput rates and die pressures.

Gert Joly, European R&D Manager for the TPE Division of Teknor Apex, said: "We have adjusted the viscosity and melt strength of Monprene IN-23000 Series TPEs to increase throughput while reducing or eliminating the common problem of die drool."

In the coextruded structures widely used for window gaskets, Joly added, all of the new compounds exhibit excellent adhesion to the polypropylene or high-modulus TPE substrate that serves as the rigid supporting component. They provide sufficient stiffness to facilitate window assembly and, unlike most TPVs, resist staining from paints.

Like TPVs, Monprene IN-23000 Series TPEs exhibit the end-use properties essential for air- and moisture-proof window gaskets, including rubberlike seal recovery, low-temperature toughness, and UV resistance, noted Joly.

A table of properties accompanying this news release compares two Monprene IN-23000 Series compounds with a Sarlink TPV compound (also available from Teknor Apex) for use in the flexible seal segment of coextruded window gaskets. In addition to such compounds, Teknor Apex supplies higher-modulus Monprene IN-23000 Series grades, as well as Sarlink grades, for the supporting segment.

"In offering styrenic TPEs alongside TPVs, Teknor Apex has taken a ‘polymer-neutral’ approach to the market for window profiles, expanding the range of options for building product manufacturers so that they can select precisely the best compound for their requirements," said Stef Hordijk, Senior Market Manager.

Teknor Apex can produce Monprene IN-23000 Series compounds at all of its TPE manufacturing locations worldwide, ensuring dependable and steady supply in any region around the globe.

“As a custom compounder, we are well prepared to accommodate customers who require rapid sampling, small lots, or pre-coloured compounds," noted Hordijk.