Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE, TPU)

Soft, but not interchangeable.

Materials › Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE, TPU)

Seals, grips, bellows, soft overmoulds: they mould like a plastic and behave like a rubber. Shore hardness remains a functional requirement and has to be met, but on its own it is not enough to choose the material: at the same hardness, TPU, TPV and styrenics can behave very differently. For seals and sealing functions you also have to assess compression set, retention of sealing force, temperature and chemical compatibility; for parts subject to wear, abrasion and tear resistance count too.

TPU — polyurethane

Highest tensile strength in the sample

Wheels, bellows, parts that flex thousands of times and wear.

Density 1.19 g/cm³ density, ISO 1183 9 grades

TPV — vulcanised olefin

Elastic recovery, good sealing

Seals and plugs that must stay elastic over time and in heat.

Density 0.96 g/cm³ density, ISO 1183 3 grades

TPE-S — styrenic

Soft to the touch, easy to overmould

Grips and soft-touch overmoulds.

Grade-dependent figure: check the datasheet of the selected material.

The medians describe the datasheets included in the sample: they are not a comparison at equal hardness and they are not a ranking of suitability. Among the grades in the archive hardness ranges from 35 to 90 Shore A, so the density too should be read for what it is: the description of a heterogeneous set, not the property of one material.

Brands and manufacturers

Data from producers’ datasheets, medians per family: they are for comparing levels with one another, not guaranteed values. We supply the datasheet of the chosen grade on request.

Real components, not renderings

Parts made in our own plants, with finishing done in-house.

Grey tapered duct printed in MJF, on a white background: a circular mouth narrowing into a flat spout.
PA12 duct, thin wall and varying section
Curved grey plate printed in MJF, pierced by dozens of round and shaped holes.
Lightened plate: holes and ribs in a single part
Two black fittings with a square base and a threaded cylindrical body, on a white background.
Same technology, black finish
Hands in blue gloves finishing a drilled grey bracket by hand, with a rotary tool.
We do the finishing ourselves, part by part

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