With Desmopan 37385A Covestro now offers the first representative of a series of TPUs containing polyether carbonate polyols based on the company’s proprietary cardyon CO2 technology. Compared to conventional materials, this new TPU leaves a lower carbon footprint and unlike many bio-based materials, do not compete with food production.
Desmopan 37385A is available in a hardness of 85 Shore A. Covestro said that its mechanical properties are at least at the level of conventional TPU grades of similar hardness, and even exceed some of them. Tensile strength is 36 MPa, elongation at break reaches 660 % (DIN 53504). The TPU is designed for extrusion, but is also suitable for injection moulding. Potential uses include typical applications of conventional TPU grades with comparable hardness and ranges from soles and upper shoe components to sportswear, handles and knobs to packaging for sensitive electronics.
The company announced to expand the TPU series with variants of different hardness. A 95 Shore A grade, whose melt cures rapidly during processing, is well advanced in development. The company said that it targets applications in which economic production in short cycle times is particularly important. Furthermore, work is underway on new CO2-based polyols for rigid polyurethane foams that could be used, for example, in the thermal insulation of buildings, in automobiles and in sports equipment. At its Dormagen, Germany, plant, Covestro already operates a production plant that produces CO2-based polyols for flexible polyurethane foams used in the commercial production of upholstered furniture and mattresses.
| “With the new TPU, our customers can reduce the carbon footprint of their products and as a result play a pioneering role in sustainability vis-à-vis their competitors,” explained Georg Fuchte, TPU expert at Covestro. “This is especially true for companies in the consumer goods industry, which often manufacture products with a short lifespan.” |