The annual TPE conference in Nuremberg, Germany, will be hosted in 2020 by SKZ Das Kunststoffzentrum and accompanied by the VDI and the German Rubber Industry Association (wdk). The conference will take place from 24 – 25 June 2020 in the Karl-Bröger-Zentrum just a short walk away from Nuremberg’s main station.
In the run-up to the industry meeting, on 23 June, the plenary meeting of the TPE Forum will take place, to which all interested parties are invited. On the evening of the first day of the conference, participants can look forward to a guided tour of the historical stone corridors of the Franconian city and a joint dinner. The following article gives an outlook on the conference as well as the programme and introduces a new research project on short fibre-reinforced TPE, recently started by SKZ and TITK.
Sustainable and multifunctional materials
The two-day conference will focus on innovative applications, sustainability as well as testing, analysis and ageing tests of thermoplastic elastomers. Digital marketplaces for plastics and plastics recyclates will also be a topic.
“It is important to us that once a year the experts from the industry meet and exchange ideas at this event,” explained Dr. Marieluise Lang, Head of Materials Development, Compounding and Extrusion at SKZ. Lang is member of the expert committee, which also includes Sven Druwen (Agor), Kurt Gebert (Allod Werkstoff), Jürgen Haettig (Covestro), Dr. Peter Heidemeyer (C4-PP Consulting for Polymer Processing) and Bernhard Kneißl (Kraiburg TPE). “This is also the reason why we cordially invite all conference participants to the meeting of the TPE Forum the day before, which will also be held on the premises of the Karl-Bröger-Zentrum in Nuremberg, just behind the main railway station.”
About the TPE Forum
The TPE Forum was launched in 2016 as an independent communication platform in order to promote TPEs. Here experts from industry, science and universities, research institutes and associations are involved and are working together. As a neutral and non-commercial platform, it bundles information and stimulates new activities, for example in the field of standardisation. In addition to SKZ, VDI and wdk, the TPE Forum gathers many partners from the industry along the entire TPE supply chain. The TPE Forum is an informal and open circle and all interested parties are cordially invited to the meeting on 23 June 2020. Participation in the meeting is free of charge and without any obligation. To ensure an optimal forward planning, registration would be desirable. (contact details below)
Hybrid, light, transparent, soft, tailor-made – an inspiring programme all around a versatile material
The committee has put together an interesting programme all about the versatile material TPE (see complete programme in the table).
Call for posters
In addition to the lecture programme, a poster exhibition will present current research projects and developments in the field of thermoplastic elastomers. Proposals for posters can be submitted until 31 March 2020.
| Lectures on Wednesday, 24 June 2020 |
| Thermoplastic elastomers at a glance
• Structure, properties, processing and applications • Trends and new developments Prof. Dr. Norbert Vennemann, University of Osnabrück, Germany |
| High Performance TPE open up new possibilities and applications
• Density reduced TPE compounds for lightweight construction applications • TPE compounds with very low compression set • Thermoplastic elastomer hybrids: temperature and oil resistant Dr. Thomas Wagner, Kraiburg TPE GmbH & Co KG, Waldkraiburg, Germany |
| New possibilities with soft injection moulding grades
• Plasticizer-free up to 40 Shore A • Exceptionally low FOG/VOC values • Wide range of possible combinations in hard/soft composite systems Mathias Lauter, Covestro Deutschland AG, Leverkusen, Germany |
| NEFA MB – Innovative compounds and masterbatches at the interface of the plastics and paint industry
• Synergies by combining classic dispersion technologies of the paint industry with compounding • Dispersing agent free masterbatches for TPE • Electrically highly conductive TPE compounds Dr. Matthias Hübner, Caparol Industrial Solutions GmbH, Grimma OT Nerchau, Germany |
| Sustainable and Low VOC FOG Polymer Solutions
• New technology for production of thermoplastic polyurethanes, designed to achieve extremely low emissions, according to VDA 278 • Bio-based thermoplastic polyurethanes and their environmental impact Dr. Nikola Kocic, Lubrizol Advanced Materials Spain, S.L., Barcelona, Spain |
| TPU supports transparency
• Introduction of aliphatic TPU • TPU films and profiles in optical applications Patricia Englisch, BASF Polyurethanes GmbH, Lemförde, Germany |
| Application of thermoplastic elastomers in the automobile for moulded articles
• Properties and comparison TPE and rubber • Cost consideration TPE vs. rubber • Application examples Robert Achatz, Achatz & Grauel GmbH, Bad Soden-Salmünster, Germany |
| Customised TPE for adhesive bonding
• Applications and requirements • Development, liability assessment and process parameters • Process optimisation and new developments Christian Berg, Hexpol TPE GmbH, Lichtenfels, Germany |
| Protecting people – TPE in eye protection applications
• Uvex: Manufacturing expertise from Fürth • Worldwide requirements for eye protection products • Applications of eye protection products with TPE Dr. Marco Wacker, Uvex Arbeitsschutz GmbH, Fürth, Germany |
| Modification of styrene-based TPE with short fibres
• The requirements: what should short fibre modified TPEs do better? • Our answers: polymers, fibres and formulations • Metrology: How are new materials measured in a meaningful way? Dr. Michael Bosse, SKZ – KFE gGmbH, Würzburg, Germany |
| Lectures on Thursday, 25 June 2020 |
| Climate-friendly plastic products – is that possible?
• What does the society think about? • What is the industry doing? • Challenges Michael Weigelt, TecPart, Frankfurt a. M., Germany |
| Alfater XL Eco – Eco TPV from bio-based and recycled raw materials
• PP recyclate and Bio-EPDM • Properties and processing of Eco-TPV • Special features of Eco-TPV Dr. Stefan Zepnik, Albis Plastic, Hamburg, Germany |
| Opportunities of digital market places for plastics and plastics recycling
• Developments in digital procurement in B2B • Trends and demand for plastics recyclates • Requirements and pitfalls of digital market places related to plastics and recyclates • Implementation and benefits illustrated with examples Andreas Bastian, plastship GmbH, Waldems, Germany |
| TPE ageing tests: From failure analysis to material development
• Typical failure patterns with ageing of TPE • Adjustment and analysis of ageing effects • Measures to improve the ageing behaviour of TPE Markus Lackinger, Allod Werkstoff GmbH & Co. KG, Burgbernheim, Germany |
| Compounding of TPEs on co-rotating twin-screw extruders
• Basics of compounding • The co-rotating twin-screw extruder, how it works etc. • Process setups for different TPE compounds • Challenges of TPE compounding with regard to the dosing of raw materials • TPE inline compounding Michael Roelfs, KraussMaffei Extrusion GmbH, Hanover, Germany |
| Innovative extrusion applications, including co-extrusion
• Hard/soft combinations with TPE • Innovative line design • Innovations in the field of light and optics • Industrial profiles with special requirements Wolfgang Breuning, Döllken Profiles GmbH, Bönen, Germany |
| TPU films and their applications
• TPU basics • Properties of TPU films • Effects of additives • Application areas of TPU films Marieelen Oelkers (Co-speakers: Helge Kosthorst, Dirk Schultze), Covestro Deutschland AG / Epurex Films GmbH & Co. KG, Walsrode, Germany |
| TPE in winter sports
• Areas of application • Challenges for material and processing • Solutions Alois Pieber, Fischer Sports, Ried im Innkreis, Austria |
+++ Conference language: German +++
Contact to register for the conference and the meeting of the TPE Forum:
Eva Engelmann
Tel. +49 931 4104184
E-mail e.engelmann@skz.de
www.skz-bildung.de/134