Santoprene
Santoprene
thermoplastic rubber is a family of high-performance elastomers
which successfully combine performance characteristics of vulcanized
rubber, such as flexibility and low compression set, with the
processing ease of thermoplastics.
Santoprene
rubber fits into the middle of the cost and performance spectrum
of both thermoplastic and thermoset rubbers. Santoprene rubber
offers the dual advantages of low-cost thermoplastic processing
and vulcanized rubber performance. As a result, Santoprene rubber
has found rapid acceptance in a broad variety of industrial and
consumer-oriented rubber product applications.
The
characteristics of Santoprene rubber offer new opportunities for
product design engineers. Its unique combination of material properties
and processing ease lets the processor achieve such critical goals
as lower production costs, consistent quality and improved product
performance in many applications.
Santoprene
rubber consists of highly crosslinked rubber particles dispersed
throughout a continuous matrix of thermoplastic material. An average
rubber particle size of 1 micron or less results in very favorable
physical properties.
Santoprene
rubber is processed on standard thermoplastic equipment. It can
be injection molded, extruded, blow molded and thermoformed with
the efficiency and economy associated with thermoplastic materials.
Further, clean scrap from these processes can be recycled.
Santoprene
rubber is available in hardness grades ranging from 45 Shore A
to 50 Shore D, each with individual performance characteristics.
This permits designers and processors to select the specific grade
that matches their product requirements.
Santoprene
rubber has the environmental resistance equivalent to general
purpose EPDM rubber compounds, while fluid resistance is comparable
to general purpose polychloroprene rubber compounds. This unique
combination of environmental resistance and fluid resistance provides
a thermoplastic rubber suitable for a broad range of applications.
The
broad spectrum of performance characteristics of Santoprene rubber
makes it exceptionally well suited for processing into a wide
variety of end-use applications. Some typical applications are
given below:
Appliances:
pump gaskets, supports, boots, hose connectors, plugs, sump boots,
baffles.
Automotive:
rack-and-pinion boots, air ducts, cable covers, bushings, windshield
spacers, tubing, grommets, gaskets, body scals for windows and
doors, body plugs, weather stripping, lamp covers, suspension
dust covers, air bag doors.
Building
and construction: glazing gaskets, weather stripping for doors
and windows, bulb scals, expansion joints, setting blocks.
Business
machines: rollers for printers, computer feet, vibration isolators.
Electrical/electronic:
molded connectors, power transmission and distribution components,
linemen's accessories, mining cable, control cable, power-limited
circuit cable, submersible cable, coiled cords, flexible cords.
Fluid
delivery: plumbing scals, filter and pump seals, hose and
tubing, pipe seals.
Food
contact: diaphragms, valve seals, closure seals, hose and
tubing.
Hardware:
caster wheels, tool grips, industrial rollers.
Medical
devices: closures, gaskets, stoppers, plunger tips.
Sporting
goods: bat grips, rifle stock cushions, scuba diving equipment,
ski pole handles.
This
list is by no means comprehensive. Designers and materials engineers
are continually expanding the uses for Santoprene rubber. The
acceptability of Santoprene rubber for any specific application
ultimately depends on the performance requirements. Thus, end-use
performance testing should be conducted before products produced
from Santoprene rubber are used commercially.
Santoprene
is a trade mark material for Advanced Elastomer Systems
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