Since their first appearance in the market, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) have mainly been utilized in injection molding and have experienced some difficulties gaining ground in the extrusion world, as this has traditionally been dominated by vulcanized rubber on the one hand and plasticized PVC on the other. However, in recent years there has been a strong tendency to reconsider TPEs as suitable candidates for a number of extrusion applications – a trend favored mainly in the fields of drinking water and medicine as a result of more stringent hygienic requirements. https://www.gupta-verlag.com/magazines/tpe-magazine-international/03-2017#article17538
In the medical field, the dominant position of plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a raw material for the production of medical devices stands as a clear reference to all market newcomers like TPE, which must conform to many common processing techniques applicable to PVC (e.g. solvent-bonding) or enable new applications and/or new alternative processes to be created in order to carve out their own market space. With regard to drinking water contact, the most common rubbery materials used for sealing and flexible pipes are vulcanized rubbers; in this field as well, TPEs need to challenge established market preferences or create new ones.