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According to a recent publication by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) industry is expected to grow at a 5.5% CAGR during the period of 2013-2018, reaching US$1,746.9 million by the end of the forecast period. The global TPU market stood at US$987.2 million in 2010.The research report, titled “Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Market – Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Share, Trends, Analysis, Growth And Forecast, 2012 – 2018”, states that the global market for TPU is stimulated by the extensive development of the global footwear and automotive industries.

D. F. Treffer, J. G. Khinast Many industrial polymer processing operations (e.g., extrusion, injection molding, etc.) include solid-to-liquid or liquid-to-solid phase changes at non-isothermal interfaces. Stickiness (tack) can occur depending on the process conditions. However, prediction of tack formation is not trivial. This work presents a hypothesis for tack formation between molten polymers and solids under non-isothermal conditions. Our hypothesis states that strong adhesion requires wetting (and thus surface creation) at the interface upon contact and, consequently, contact temperatures above the polymer’s solidification point. Lower contact temperatures result in a solid-solid interface with negligible adhesion. It was suggested that the contact temperature determines the existence or non-existence of surface sticking. The hypothesis was supported by non-isothermal tack experiments, which show that the change from stickiness to non-stickiness is surprisingly pronounced with changing surface temperature of the solid material. From a practical perspective, the work may be useful both for professionals (e.g., designing new processing equipment and performing process troubleshooting) and home users (e.g., working with hot melt glue or 3d printers).

Chemical production volumes continued to improve in 2017, with significant gains expected in 2018 and 2019

P. Mandal, S. Ponnupandian, S. Choudhury, N. Singha This investigation reports the thiol-ene modification of high vinyl content styrenebutadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymer (BCP) in toluene at 70 °C using different thiolating agents. 1H NMR analysis confirmed the participation of vinyl double bond in thiol-ene modification reaction of SBS. Surface morphology of the block copolymers evaluated by AFM analysis showed higher roughness after thiol-ene reaction. The thiol- modified SBS block copolymer showed better adhesion strength and oil resistance properties than the pristine SBS.

Olefinic thermoplastic elastomers are emerging as one of the fastest growing class of synthetic polymers substituting a number of traditional polymeric compounds such as ethylene propylene polymers, ethylene vinyl acetate and Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) in numerous applications including automotive, medical, etc.

A new material class for the most widely used additive manufacturing process S. Baumann, B. Ulmer, M. Lang, T. Hochrein, M. Bastian, O. Adrian, G. Körber

As it continues to strengthen its global presence, specialty chemicals company LANXESS is galvanising its operations in China.

H.B. Fuller pH.B. Fuller has finalized its acquisition of Royal Adhesives & Sealants for 1.575 billion USD, positioning the adhesives specialist as a ‘more capable and dynamic companyoised for global growt

TPE and TPU as terms are widely used interchangeably even though TPE is actually a much wider group of materials. The term elastomer is also sometimes generally used and this is just any polymer that is elastic

With excellent bondability to other materials, elastomers are now highly favored in products requiring overmolding technique. This characteristic essentially skips the additional applications of bonding agent, adhesive and processes, hence leading to faster production with lower cost

Learn how to resurface a flat roof with modified bitumen, also known as rubber roofing.