The Difference between TPE Raw Material and Silica Gel and Its Distinguishing Method

Time：2020-04-20Hits：2879

Thermoplastic elastomer TPE material is one of the exciting new materials in recent years. It is a thermoplastic elastomer material with high elasticity, high strength, high rebound and high wear resistance. Many new friends in life don't know much about the difference between elastomer TPE and silica gel, so when developing some new products, the question of whether to choose TPE material or silica gel material will be very difficult. About this problem! Comparison of Advantages of Silica Gel and TPE in Various Applications; Hardness: the hardness of silica gel is generally 0A to 70A, while the hardness of TPE is generally 0 a to 100 a, the softest can reach 000 degrees or 00000 degrees, so TPE is softer and the shape of silica gel is stronger. B Anti-aging: TPE is almost inferior to silica gel. Normal application of these two materials at room temperature can meet the needs of customers. C wear-resistant function: TPE is better than silica gel, the main silica gel is too soft to scratch, TPE is a high density mixed material, which is relatively scratch-resistant. D high temperature resistance: silica gel material is superior to TPE material, silica gel material can withstand 220 degrees of temperature, TPE material can withstand 60-90 degrees of temperature. E Oil resistance: Silicone oil has good resistance and can also be placed in ozone and oil environment. Silicone material is superior to TPE, so it can be used as silicone sealing ring, oil seal gasket, etc. F Stretch rebound: TPE material is more, its material can stretch to more than 1000%, hardness is different, silica gel is about 300%-500%. G Cost: Silica gel material is synthetic rubber, made of various materials, with complicated production process. Silica gel product manufacturers can choose a variety of production and processing methods, and different materials have different raw material costs and prices. Therefore, the price of raw materials is higher and the processing cost is higher. TPE is a thermoplastic material, but its gel content is high and can be recycled. Excellent processability, no vulcanization, recyclability, cost reduction, secondary injection molding, coated with PP, PE, PC, PS, ABS and other substrates, or can be formed separately. How to quickly identify TPE and silica gel? Silica gel. The burning flame is bright white, with light smell and little smoke, and the residue is white powder. Silica gel has transparent particles and other irregular solid materials. Inorganic and silica gel glue. Hardness ranges from 10 to 90a. Silica gel has excellent tensile elasticity. And TPR/TPE (based on SBS, SEBS substrate). The burning flame is yellow or yellow and blue. Different hardness and substrate TPR, TPE (TPE, TPR, related to different usage habits of users) produce lighter or thicker smoke and different smells, but they all have the special smell of styrene. Both have their own advantages, but TPE cannot meet the shortage of silica gel materials in terms of processing performance, recycling, cost and price. With the increasing variety and application of TPE, TPE raw material is the preferred material to replace silica gel!

德创化工 (edit：dechuang)