Plasticizer-free TPE

Manufacturers of consumer goods as well as medical products work intensively on the materials to be used before and during the development phase. In the field of plastics, soft PVC has proven itself for many applications. However, the material is increasingly being criticized. Due to the plasticizer problem, among other things.​

In the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries, for example, there are some active ingredients that are incompatible with PVC. With serious possible consequences: PVC plasticizers can be released. Certain active ingredients can also form deposits on the surface of the PVC material which impairs the effect of the respective drug.

Medical products such as infusion sets and consumer goods such as toys, which are produced in very large quantities, must be able to be manufactured economically despite the highest demands on product safety and hygiene. On the other hand, the requirements are constantly increasing. Ultimately, this is also to ensure the health of end consumers in the consumer goods sector and of staff and patients in the healthcare sector.​

To meet this requirement profile, alternative materials are increasingly being used today instead of the soft PVC that has often been used in the past. There has long been a shift in thinking towards PVC-free solutions. However, it is also important not to simply replace plasticizers classified as questionable with others. This is because, on the one hand, not all alternative plasticizers have been studied and documented as extensively as DEHP, and on the other hand, the environmental

The term TPE (thermoplastic elastomers) refers to materials that combine the properties of classic elastomers with those of thermoplastics. They can be processed in a purely physical process in combination with high shear forces, heat and subsequent cooling. Due to their soft-elastic character, very similar PVC properties can be achieved without the use of plasticizers.

Compared to other materials, TPE do well in terms of environmental and sustainability aspects. Complete recyclability is of course one of the most important aspects here. Neither PVC, nor thermosetting plastics nor latex can be recycled simply or completely. In addition, PVC and thermosetting plastics generate large amounts of waste during production and processing, and plasticizers can be released from PVC. Even during the production of the granulate, the energy consumption is lower than with soft PVC. With TPE granules, the potential for the migration of undesirable substances is minimized.