Waldkraiburg, April 21, 2010.  This specialist in customized TPE compounds intends to offer new product characteristics and more efficient production processes to clients in the packaging industry. KRAIBURG TPE, having introduced the THERMOLAST^® M product group in 2009, has already convinced customers in the medical and pharmaceutical markets of the advantages that can be exploited for medical packaging. These thermoplastic elastomer experts are now attaching greater importance to developing new packagings for the consumer sector. Being spotlighted today are TPE compounds that guarantee superb grip even when wet or that permit contact with oily foodstuffs. In addition to new material properties manufacturers also profit from more economical production processes: This is because TPE enables production using time – and money – saving multi-resin processes. Wherever visual stimuli have reached the limits of their effectiveness they offer complementary sales support: Their soft-touch surfaces provide an enhanced tactile experience for the retail customer. This adds to the perceived value of the product.

In its activities focusing on consumer products KRAIBURG TPE adheres faithfully to its principle: “Custom-engineered TPE and more” and explores and analyzes market needs with an eye toward customizing TPE. One project in the development pipeline: Materials suitable for contact with oily foodstuffs. “When developing new product characteristics we concentrate our attention on what the final customer wants,” says Franz Hinterecker, CEO at KRAIBURG TPE. He adds: “ Using new formulae we intend to pave the packaging industry’s way to new product ideas previously unattainable, and using the simplest production processes”. With their excellent sealing properties and their superb elasticity thermoplastic elastomers support new developments in the packaging field in numerous ways: The focus here is not only on transportation and storage containers but also on multi-function systems to handle metering or sealing needs. By utilizing TPE manufacturers will in the future profit not only from expanded and more complex functions but also from simplified production parameters. Thanks to their highly desirable bonding properties these elastomers allow the use of time - and cost efficient- multi-component processing. Compared with concepts involving assembly work, logistics are simplified and product hygiene is enhanced What’s more, thermoplastic elastomers offer decisive advantages in terms of product design since they can be dyed, simply and quickly, in any shade desired. Last but not least manufacturers can convince their customers with a further advantage associated with TPE application: Thermoplastic elastomers with their soft-touch surfaces bring about pleasant tactile properties that impart a sense of superior product quality.