Dusseldorf, Germany - This is Huntsman polyurethanes first visit as a stand holder to K2013 since K 1998, said Craig Roberts, global marketing and technology director, thermoplastics at the firm.
"We're known for innovation," said Roberts, "we're going to use it to help us grow the business." As part of this drive, Huntsman, was using the K show to highlight some of its latest developments in thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). There is a strong focus on the automotive sector in its stand and the company was outlining a range of products for the automotive industry for applications as diverse as key fobs and cable ducting.
The firm's Irogran a 70 E 4675 is a soft, UV stabilised, TPU with high bond-strength for over moulded parts, the A 85 C 4002 is designed for door checks because of its high rebound resilience, while the A 92 E 4246 Irogran grade is designed for highly stable oil resistant cabling applications for components in the ABS system, said Michael Kolm, account and market manager, injection moulding TPU Europe, Asia, India and Middle East.
Kolm added that the Irogran A 85 P 4441 grade is an extrudable TPU that can be made into tubes that can protect wires for automotive electric management systems. This has a matte finish and so it is easy to pull cables through the tubes without them sticking, he added.
Away from cables Huntsman has also broadened its TPU film products portfolio with a new range of TPU sheet materials for adhesive applications.
Irogran CA 117-200 is a polyester-based TPU that enables automotive seats to be produced with lower energy consumption that competing methods, Roberts said. The material can be used to laminate foam to automotive seating, where its low activation temperature could be an advantage, said Roberts.
He added that the low temperature makes it possible to laminate delicate materials to foam which may be damaged by higher temperature processing.
Huntsman polyurethane's approach to the automotive sector "is all about performance and simplifying processes, if we can make components out of the same material then it could be recyclable," he added. "Recycling is driving a lot of innovation in the automotive industry," he said, adding, "TPUs have a lot of advantages." TPU-leather is being used in a number of automotive interior components, he said.
