Versatile TPES meet US and European regulations for food containers, kitchen appliances, kid's products

Drawing on years of experience supplying custom thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compounds for food-contact and other regulated applications, Teknor Apex Company has developed a series of standard grades that offer a wide range of choices for manufacturers of food containers, utensils, kitchen appliances, and children’s products. Monprene® RG-10100 Series injection molding and RG-20100 extrusion compounds comply with multiple U.S. and European food-contact regulations while enabling manufacturers of rubbery or flexible components to achieve vivid colors, smooth surfaces, and end-use durability. Standard grades are available with Shore A hardness levels ranging from a soft 40 to a semi-rigid 80 (see accompanying table for data on injection molding grades). The compounds exhibit good tensile and tear strength, are readily colored, and can be supplied as pre-colored products or in custom color-match grades. For molded-in seals, “soft-touch” grips, and other over-molded applications, they provide adhesion to polyolefins such as those used for kitchen containers and utensils, while custom formulations are available for over-molding onto engineering polymers. Prospective applications for Monprene RG Series TPEs are similar to those where custom grades from Teknor Apex are already used: • Kitchen appliance components such as grips, gaskets, knobs, and anti-skid parts. • Food containers and utensils such as food saver storage products, secure-grip implements, and ice cube trays. • Children’s and infant products such as soft toys, teething rings, and non-spill lids. Every ingredient used to manufacture the Monprene RG series of standard products is “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) according to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, subject to an e­ffective Food Contact Notification (FCN), Threshold of Regulation (TOR), or is identified in at least one section of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, these grades comply with European Directives for Food Contact, EU 1935/2004 and PIM10/2011, as well as the Toy Safety Directives: 2009/48/EC and EN-71-3. In both single-use and repeat-use applications (as defined by U.S. and European regulations), Monprene RG compounds can be used in containers for dry, acidic, aqueous, and alcoholic foods. “Teknor Apex has ensured that Monprene RG Series compounds are pre-compliant with food-contact regulations in order to help customers shorten lead time for bringing new products to market,” said Brian Mulvany, senior market manager, consumer and industrial markets, for the Thermoplastic Elastomer Division of Teknor Apex. “In addition to our standard grades, we can work with customers to develop custom formulations to meet special needs and to provide engineering support for application development.” All Monprene RG products are phthalate-, latex, and BPA-free and are compliant with RoHS and REACH SVHC directives. Grades thus far available in the Monprene RG series are based on styrenic (TPE-S) polymer chemistry. Teknor Apex can also develop custom formulations based on thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPE-V), olefinics (TPE-O and OBC), or specialty alloys.