Soft TPU with good slip-resistance properties announced by Huntsman
21/02/2017
The company said on announcing the development that the new TPU will prove to be “a suitable replacement for rubber in a variety of outsole applications”. It said Avalon 50 AHG TPU is softer than most standard TPU grades. It has a nominal shore hardness of 50A but can offer slip resistance properties on a par with vulcanised rubber, Huntsman claimed, and should allow footwear manufacturers to make soft, thin, high-definition, high-grip, non-marking parts in a variety of colours.
It said the product is particularly suited to safety footwear. Oil- and petrol-resistant, it has excellent electro-static discharge properties and complies with ISO 13287, the international benchmark for testing slip resistance in protective and personal equipment.
In addition, it said the product has “excellent fluidity” and that standard injection moulding cycle times can be achieved with it, while demoulding is also straightforward.
At the time of the announcement, Huntsman Polyurethanes commercial manager, Alfons Tremml, commented: “We knew from speaking to footwear customers that there was real demand for a soft TPU grade that could deliver comparable slip-resistance properties to those of rubber. Combining the benefits of a TPU with a soft feel, and substantially improved levels of wet slip-resistance, Avalon 50 AHG TPU is designed to satisfy that need. It performed up to 30% better than reference materials during in-house tests.”
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