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.
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