High-Tech Solutions for the Most Stringent Safety Standards

Waldkraiburg, July 22, 2009. KRAIBURG TPE presents innovative TPE solutions that offer true added value for customers in a wide range of industries at the FAKUMA 2009, hall B5, booth 5304. Such as the new THERMOLAST® M product group, which enables customers in the pharmaceutical and medical markets to both safely and economically process materials that come into direct contact with media that can enter the human bloodstream. For the automotive industry, the TPE specialist presents a refinement of HIPEX®, the highlight of last year’s trade show. This high temperature resistant, high-performance TPE now provides optimum adhesion to the most important rigid components in the engine compartment, helping to save weight and fuel by enabling the use of plastic in place of metal. In the areas of environmental protection and safety as well, KRAIBURG TPE is contributing to making the world a better place by setting new standards for medical harmlessness, health protection and alternative resource solutions.

New medical technology unit: compounds offer top quality

KRAIBURG TPE meets the demanding safety requirements of medical and pharmaceutical technology with eight compound series of the new THERMOLAST® M product line. These enable processing up to the liability risk of indirect blood contact: the material can be in direct contact with media intended for insertion in the human bloodstream, such as medical tubes or OP probes in minimally invasive surgery. The safety of these compounds for medical applications has been certified by all important medical-technology approval bodies. A separate production facility devoted exclusively to processing raw materials for medical appliations further guarantees maximum safety. Thanks to the optimum adhesion to the plastic materials ABS, PC, PC/ABS, PP und PE the use of TPE also offers manufacturers economic advantages through the use of fast, cost-saving, single and two-component injection molding. This further development is rounded out by a comprehensive service package and a two-year supply guarantee.

HIPEX® fulfills the most demanding requriements “under the hood”

Higher temperature resistance with reduced weight, and thus lower fuel consumption: this is what the automotive industry wants today – and this is the potential that the high performance TPE HIPEX® from KRAIBURG TPE offers. With its high temperature resistance of up to 170 °C coupled with a resistance to such media as motor oil, fuels and greases, these TPE materials offer the same properties as high-performance rubber compounds. Applications range from seals in automobile engines and in future in tubing and pipes, to wiring and cables. In addition to adhering to polyamide (PA) and polyacetal (POM), the compounds now also demonstrate optimum adhesion to polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) – and thus to all important rigid components in the engine compartment. In addition to promoting the current trend of replacing metal parts with lighter plastic components, HIPEX® can also be processed using two-component injection molding. This reduces production time. As HIPEX® is significantly lighter than comparable high-performance rubber compounds, it helps to reduce both vehicle weight and fuel consumption even further.

Health and environmental protection: on the safe side with KRAIBURG TPE

Manufacturers who use compounds from KRAIBURG TPE can depend on top quality and medical safety. In producing TPE for medical and consumer applications, KRAIBURG TPE uses only ultra-pure medical white oils. These are colorless, odorless, tasteless and food-safe, as well as being completely free of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which are suspected of causing cancer. TPE materials also represent a safe alternative to PVC. KRAIBURG TPE has developed a class of halogen-free TPE compounds especially for cable manufacturers and suppliers to the IT and consumer electronics industries that fully comply with the most demanding flame resistance requirements of European and US standards. Unlike PVC sheathing, which often gives rise to significant health risks in the event of fire. And KRAIBURG TPE never stops developing. Research is ongoing into the use of renewable materials – with increasing success: already, these efforts have yielded valuable techniques for using sunflower oil in place of white oil in TPE production. Because the mission of KRAIBURG TPE is to offer customers solutions that not only meet the most exacting technical demands but also ensure the safety of people and the environment over the long term.

About KRAIBURG TPE

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® and HIPEX® brand names a broad spectrum of standardized compounds to cover a wide range of applications. The company produces at sites in Germany, the US and Malaysia. KRAIBURG TPE also maintains sales offices in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, China and India.

Please direct your questions to:
KRAIBURG TPE GmbH & Co. KG
Lars Goldmann
Friedrich-Schmidt-Straße 2
84478 Waldkraiburg, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)8638.9810-278
Fax: +49 (0)8638.9810-11278
Email: lars.goldmann@kraiburg-tpe.com
www.kraiburg-tpe.com