Waldkraiburg, June 16, 2010. Hilti Deutschland GmbH, a leading vendor of products, maintenance work and support services for the construction industry, makes use of KRAIBURG TPE innovations and solutions for the components that go into its tools. That specialist for TPE compounds custom-developed a soft formula for a novel cover cap that keeps dust and grime away from the inner workings of machines such as rotary hammer drills and demolition hammers. This compound offers ideal bonding to the polyamide plastic that makes up the cap and offers excellent damping and resilience properties even at high temperatures. Thus it offers the best possible protection for the high-ticket Hilti units. What’s more, KRAIBURG TPE devised concepts for tool grips and handles. Here the company earned praise with TPE solutions that once again offer excellent joining to polyamide – even in the face of adverse conditions such as strong vibration or contact with dust and dirt. It is not just superb product quality that distinguishes this firm. It is also noted for its extensive development know-how and service range. True to the company’s motto – “Custom-engineered TPE and more” – its capacities go far beyond pure product solutions. That is the reason why Hilti is entering into a strategic partnership to undertake further joint developments.

Even in the most difficult situations: TPE solutions deliver what they promise Tools used at major construction sites have to be tough. To make this new cover cap, designed to protect the high-quality components inside Hilti units against dust and dirt, the Bavarian specialists developed a TPE compound that satisfies this requirement to the greatest possible extent. This ring, two to three centimeters thick, bonds perfectly to the rigid polyamide component and, acting as a pliable “shock absorber” between the cap and the machine itself, offers superb damping and resilience capacities, even at higher temperatures and in the presence of strong vibrations like those an impact drill will generate.Over and above that, the materials made by KRAIBURG TPE also help ensure that Hilti tool users will have “a firm grip” on their work. Making use of its exceptional bonding properties, TPE forms a protective layer for the rigid components making up the handles for rotary hammer drills and demolition hammers. The material offers safe and pleasant tactile properties. And when dealing with grip geometries that – since they are completely enclosed in TPE – do not require optimized bonding, KRAIBURG TPE achieves convincing results with TPE compounds from the THERMOLAST® K product group. Using TPE also lets Hilti employ the economical co-injection molding process in production operations.

Looking toward the future: Hilti and KRAIBURG TPE pursue joint development workProduct solutions of high quality are just as important to Hilti as is the KRAIBURG TPE philosophy. “Competent and solution-oriented collaboration with the TPE engineers together with extensive service at short response times quickly earned great favor among our staff,” notes Ferdinand Kristen, who is responsible at Hilti for developing plastic casings for power tools. “The final aspect that convinced us, as a family operation, is that KRAIBURG TPE puts its faith in high-quality products ‘Made in Germany’. With this firm as a strategic partner we see great potential for further innovative product developments.” Some are already in the pipeline. The companies are working together on new materials to be used close to the motor. In addition to withstanding temperatures of up to 140 degrees Celsius, the materials offer additional advantages such as reduced product weight and greater resistance to aggressive media.

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www.kraiburg-tpe.com

KRAIBURG TPE (www.kraiburg-tpe.com) manufactures thermoplastic elastomers based on HSBC (hydrogenated styrene block copolymers) and markets them all around the world. In addition to custom solutions, the company offers under the THERMOLAST® brand name a broad spectrum of standardized compounds to cover a wide range of applications. With its high-performance HIPEX® compound, KRAIBURG TPE is opening up the world of rubber for all the companies that process thermoplastics. The TPE specialist has production sites in Germany, the USA and Malaysia. KRAIBURG TPE also maintains sales offices in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, China and India.

The Hilti Group (www.hilti.de) supplies technologically advanced products, systems and services to the building industry all around the world. These offer construction professionals innovative solutions and superior value. The firm’s employees, almost twenty thousand in number, are at work in more than 120 countries around the world. Customers are excited about their products, designed to help build a better future. Hilti generated sales of 3.8 billion Swiss francs in 2009. Teamwork and a high degree of dedication form the foundation for the company culture. The Hilti Group is headquartered in Schaan, Liechtenstein.