Phthalate free, very stretchable thermoplastic polyurethane alloy introduced

14-Aug-08

In a bid to offer enhanced product design and application parameters for medical product and other designers and manufacturers, a new phthalate (plasticizer) free very stretchable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) alloy has been introduced by New England Urethane. With a vertical elongation of 800% and higher plus a high tensile strength, the new Series of TPU alloys make the new material ideally suited for applications that include disposable thin-wall extruded tubing used in laparoscopic surgery procedures. Favorable stretch characteristics enable instruments of various sizes to be inserted into the molded product. Shore A hardness can be between 65 or 75, depending on the formulation, giving the end product an additional benefit - preferred softness. Earlier materials used for similar applications employed plasticizers to make the material softer, with the caveat that plasticizers are known to be fugitive, often resulting in gradual rehardening. Further, in overmolding applications, plasticizers have a tendency to attack ABS or polycarbonate, resulting in crazing.