With the growing trend worldwide to adopt pets as part of a family, the pet industry has, over the years, experienced an exponential increase, especially in the number of pet owners.

With this comes a growing range of opportunities for the production of pet accessories and toys and for pet product marketers and product designers to leverage the use of thermoplastic elastomers, one of the most versatile materials available, for these products.

Thermoplastic elastomers are ideal materials for product designers because of their easy in-house colorability, different hardness properties and adhesion to various thermoplastics. As well, the easy processability via injection molding and extrusion assists product designers in realizing their creative designs. Hence, the compounds are able to cater to a stylish portfolio of pet products and accessories, designed to fit targeted customers’ needs.

KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer products and custom solutions for multiple industries, provides a wide range of thermoplastic elastomers for the pet products sector.

Safety first in pet products
Of vital importance to a pet owner is that the pet products they are purchasing are made of materials that are safe. In this aspect, KRAIBURG TPE - thermoplastic elastomers are free of intentionally added latex, PVC, phthalates and heavy metals. Thermoplastic elastomers are, thus, an ideal solution for pet products.
Product quality and purity play a major role in pet product applications. In developing its TPE compounds, KRAIBURG TPE takes into account international and local standards and guidelines. These include EU Regulation No. 10/2011 and US FDA – Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 21 and DIN EN 71-3. A few selected materials also comply with the China GB4806:2016 standard.

THERMOLAST®K series is the choice
THERMOLAST®K can be easily processed through injection molding and extrusion. It can be molded and extruded to make just about any conceivable tool, toy, or accessory for a pet.
The variety of products include food bowls, chew toys, squeaker toys, food dispensers, frisbees and more. Chew toys and food bowls, especially, need to be durable and long lasting to handle the constant gnawing and attempts of destruction by pets.
For example, the THERMOLAST®K FC/AD1 series is one of the solutions offered for producing folding bowls, food dispensers, feeder balls, nursing care feeding bottles, etc.
The compound comes in a natural color and has good adhesion with polar thermoplastics like PC, ABS, PC/ABS, ASA, SAN, PET and PETG.

Meanwhile, the FC/HE/TL series is one of the recommended TPEs for applications like chew toys, squeaker toys, frisbees, and finger toothbrushes. It offers good abrasion and tear resistance while maintaining its soft touch feel.
It also has excellent mechanical properties and is available in a translucent color that enables colorization in many ways, to suit the design and requirements of products. A further quality is its good adhesion to PP and PE.

Social responsibility towards the community
The safety and purity of TPEs are among KRAIBURG TPE’s most important quality features, particularly when the materials are used for toys for pets such as dogs and cats.
The social responsibility commitment is also in line with KRAIBURG TPE’s continuous organization-wide focus on providing quality products for the community.