Rochester, IL – September 8, 2008 – TPE producers struggle to provide designers and manufacturers with “just right” soft overmoldable TPEs for applications with demanding, unusual or critical requirements. More and more, these requirements call for TPEs in a specific Shore A softness grade and a reduced coefficient of friction.

Elastocon TPE Technologies now offers a new grade of TPE within their 8000 Series – new, versatile 8058BL TPEs that are unique among other soft thermoplastic elastomers. For starters, the new grade has a low coefficient of friction (COF) for finished products such as armrests, handles and headrests to provide just the right degree of comfort; it is also ideally suited for weather seals to help designers meet stringent weather seal requirements. Shore A grades can be tweaked to any degree of softness; and designed-in characteristics for products that will resist or minimize the accumulation of dirt and dust, such as tractor steering wheel grips.

The low COF also facilitates any post-molding assembly process such as sliding a strain relief over a chord, tube or hose. Depending on the compound and application, the 8058BL grade can be overmolded onto PP or formulated to overmold onto various other substrates. Another grade - 8068BL – can be compounded in a 73 Shore A hardness for applications that require a higher durometer than 8058BL. This new grade, from the TPE industry’s fastest growing multi-industry supplier of custom and off-the-shelf thermoplastic elastomers not only offers these benefits, but also provides great UV stability and durable outdoor weatherability, all with a soft, ergonomic feel.

Additional benefits of the new TPE product line are:

• Processability – injection moldable, extrudable, thermoformable or blow moldable
• Available as concentrates for compounding, if desired
• Less material usage during processing
• Excellent colorability
• Can be overmolded onto polypropylene and other polymers
• Highly impact resistant at very low temperatures
• Resistant to most chemicals and cleaners
• Available in 1000 lb. quantities and larger

The new 8058BL grade is the latest addition to the full line of standard and custom TPE and TPO formulations and concentrates available from Elastocon TPE Technologies, Inc. All product lines can be injection molded, extruded, thermoformed, blow molded or compounded. The company has 7 production lines to handle any TPE and TPO needs and demands.