Machine Design magazine

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The Skinny: Editors detailed news on the latest tools available for design engineers in the Basics of Design Engineering section. Armed with stacks of product information, I developed articles for various issues; this one focused on plastics.

Style: Straightforward, technical

Excerpt:

Market Expands for Overmolded TPE

Soft-touch thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) for overmolded components, with their easy-to-hold feel and colorful appearance, have turned up everywhere from toothbrushes to automotive interior parts to computer peripherals. This rapidly growing market has even extended beyond mere consumer appeal to increase the comfort and safety of many products. In power-tool applications, for instance, ergonomic product designs incorporating a soft elastomeric grip over rigid plastic helps improve safety with better grips and increased shock absorption. Automotive components with molded-in gaskets dampen vibration and reduce noise. And cost reduction is another driving appeal, with molded-in seals and gaskets eliminating assembly steps, adhesives or mechanical fasteners.

These increasingly diverse applications necessitate the use of different types of rigid thermoplastics for the substrate structures of grips, handles or other parts to be overmolded. Many current TPEs have severe limitations in hardness range, surface characteristics and mechanical properties. And in cases where the rigid-component thermoplastic is changed during development, a new TPE often is necessary, as well as tooling changes to accommodate for different shrinkage and surface properties.

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