What is Santoprene rubber?
Santoprene, sometimes called Santoprene TPV (short for Thermoplastic Vulcanizates) is a dynamically vulcanized polymer alloy composed of cured EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber. To make Santoprene, EPDM rubber is broken into particles and then encased in a PP, or polypropylene matrix.
What is TPV resin?
Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) are fully cross-linked EPDM / PP compounds. These products are soft and rubbery with exceptionally good compression set, tensile strength, and heat resistance. TPVs can be used in applications requiring long term sealing performance at elevated temperatures.
What is thermoplastic Vulcanizate used for?
TPV is mainly used in automotive industry, such as CVJ boots air bag cover. And with its melt flow ability, it also used for building and construction, such as glazing seal, weather strip.
How is TPV made?
They are produced by dynamic vulcanization or cross-linking of a rubber during blending and melt-processing with a thermoplastic at elevated temperature (reactive extrusion and injection molding). Most TPVs are binary blends of polyolefins and thermoplastic diene elastomers.
Is Santoprene safe?
TPV (Santoprene type) Pros: TPV is generally considered safe for food contact applications. It is very soft and flexible and can be colored easily. It is great for soft touch applications.
Is Santoprene a silicone?
Santoprene rubber is a unique thermoplastic elastomer that combines flexibility, durability, and a great working temperature range all into one quality synthetic rubber material. The rubber compounds that make up our Santoprene sheets are a mixture of fully vulcanized EPDM rubber and polypropylene.
What is Santoprene good for?
Santoprene TPV is used in washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, small appliances and floorcare. Its properties enable it to be used in a range of parts including pump seals, hoses, couplings, vibration dampeners, drum rollers, knobs and controls.
What does Santoprene feel like?
It looks, feels and behaves like rubber but, due to the PP content, offers simple, flexible part design and manufacturing. It is essentially a high performance elastomer which exhibits the properties of rubber while providing the ease of processing of plastics.
