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BLOW MOLDABLE ZEOTHERM® TPV DELIVERS 150°C AND HIGHER HEAT AND GREASE RESISTANCE June 6, 2005
Blow molding low durometer parts (<45 Shore D hardness) has enabled design engineers tremendous freedom in part design, assembly step savings and part cost reduction – The one significant limitation has always been heat resistance below 140°C.; until now.
Zeon has commercialized a new grade in its flagship Zeotherm® TPV portfolio – Zeotherm 120-90B – which enables blow molded parts to survive temperatures from –40° to 175°C while retaining softness and flexibility. Zeotherm 120-90B is ideally suited for high-temperature capable automotive boots, bellows and ducts, when the previous option to survive heat resistance had been rubber or heat shields.
Zeotherm 120-90B is also a perfect choice for automotive suspension and steering parts, such as inboard constant velocity joint (CVJ) boots and rack-and-pinion boots. This new grade enables Tier 1s and OEMs to eliminate heat shield costs and avoid the expensive use of silicone or ethylene-acrylic rubber boots as temperature demands increase to 140°C and higher.
Producers of air induction systems for turbo-charged diesel passenger cars and heavy trucks can use Zeotherm 120-90B in place of assembled ducts (rubber + metal + clamps; rubber + plastic + clamps). Zeotherm 120-90B gives co-extrusion blow molded ducts the capability to outperform EPDM//polypropylene and copolyester on high-temperature resistance.
Side-by-side functional testing on automotive boots made from Zeotherm 120-90B has shown the Zeotherm boots can survive higher speed rotation and higher temperatures than copolyester. Tests also revealed that Zeotherm 120-90B has superior resistance to aggressive (e.g., low-friction) greases as compared to HTR-series copolyester. Zeotherm 120-90B is an ideal candidate for boots with large degrees of rotation and articulation, such as propeller shaft and CVJ boots.
When compared to EPDM//PP TPVs, Zeotherm 120-90B has been shown to have superior heat resistance – greater than 150°C compared with 120°C of EPDM//PP TPVs – as well as superior grease resistance. Unlike EPDM//PP TPVs, testing has shown Zeotherm 120-90B does not extract oil from lubricating greases used in rack-and-pinion and CVJ boots, allowing the grease to function as a lubricant. In comparison, EPDM//PP TPV and copolyester were found to negatively affect grease lubricity.
Zeotherm 120-90B has been optimized for the dominate makes and designs of blow molding machines utilized for automotive boots and air duct production, including press blow, injection blow and mono- and co-extrusion blow (3D, sequential, and suction). To ensure part flexibility and ideal NVH properties, Zeotherm 120-90B has been designed with a hardness of 90 Shore A – much less than copolyesters.
Test rig validation and on-vehicle testing in North America and Europe has confirmed Zeotherm 120-90B’s higher-performance level. Molders worldwide have also confirmed the ability to process Zeotherm 120-90B using molding machines that are commonly used to blow mold copolyester and EPDM//PP TPV parts.
Zeon produces TPVs under the Zeotherm brand name. Zeotherm TPVs are the world’s leading thermoplastic elastomers capable of withstanding long-term heat and oil exposure from –40° to 175°C. For more information, visit www.zeotherm.com or contact Zeon at 502.775.2078.
About Zeon Chemicals L.P.
Zeon Chemicals L.P. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeon Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in specialty elastomers, polymers and specialty chemicals. Zeon Corporation is one of the top producers of polymers in the world with plants in Asia, North America and Europe, and Research and Development laboratories in Kawasaki (Japan), Louisville (KY, USA) and Barry (UK).
Zeon Chemicals, headquartered in Louisville, is the leading producer of specialty elastomers in the USA. It produces Nipol® NBR, HyTemp® and Nipol ACM, Hydrin® ECO, Zetpol® HNBR and Zeotherm® TPVs, which are used in the manufacture of hoses, seals, gaskets, belts and other parts for automotive, industrial, oil field and printing markets. Customers are served from plants in Louisville, (KY, USA) Hattiesburg (MS, USA) and Bayport (TX, USA).
Zeon Corporation, with combined sales of over US $1.8 billion, utilizes its expertise and basic position in C4 and C5 chemistry to offer a wide range of products. The company employs approximately 2,900 people worldwide.
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