WACKER, the Munich-based chemical company, will showcase a new silicone additive for thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) at the K 2019 International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber (WACKER at K 2019 in Hall 6, Booth A10).
Sold under the name GENIOPLAST® Pellet 345, the additive lowers the hardness of TPUs, while boosting their elasticity and enhancing their properties. The surfaces of molded parts modified with the additive are pleasantly soft to the touch and more resistant to scratches, abrasion and contamination. The new additive is readily incorporated into thermoplastic polyurethanes and has fewer undesirable secondary effects than conventional silicone products.
GENIOPLAST® Pellet 345 complements WACKER’s portfolio of silicone-based additives for the compounding of thermoplastic polymers. The product has been specifically developed with thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) in mind, but can be used for modifying other thermoplastic elastomers as well. For example, the product, which is supplied in pellet form, can markedly boost the properties of thermoplastic polyamide and copolyester elastomers.
GENIOPLAST® Pellet 345 is a silicone copolymer and is processed like a thermo- plastic. Organic polymer segments contained within GENIOPLAST® Pellet 345 make it so compatible with thermoplastic polyurethanes that, unlike conventional silicones, it disperses very finely and homogeneously throughout the polyurethane matrix. The copolymer becomes physically bound to the matrix and is therefore unable to migrate. In Europe, GENIOPLAST® Pellet 345 is authorized for food- contact applications.