What is TPU material and what are its main applications?

August 02,2022

In recent years, the use of thermoplastic PU elastomers has continued to increase due to the continuous development of new products, creating new opportunities for plastics processors to create a low-cost, high-value-added industry. TPU is becoming increasingly popular for its superior performance and environmental concept. Currently, TPU can be used as a substitute for PVC wherever PVC is used. TPU not only has excellent high tension, high tensile strength, toughness and aging resistance, but also is a mature and environmentally friendly material.

TPU plastic material: that is, thermoplastic polyurethane. Thermoplastic TPU elastomer, is made from MDI containing NCO functional group and POLYOL, 1.4BG containing OH functional group, by extruding and blending. Now TPU has been widely used in: shoes, garments, inflatable toys, water and underwater sports equipment, medical equipment, fitness equipment, car seat materials, umbrellas, leather cases, leather bags, etc.

The main characteristics of TPU：

Wide range of hardness: By changing the ratio of each reaction component of TPU, products of different hardness can be obtained, and with the increase of hardness, its products still maintain good elasticity and wear resistance.

High mechanical strength: TPU products have outstanding load-bearing capacity, impact resistance and shock absorption performance.

Outstanding cold resistance: TPU has a relatively low glass transition temperature and still maintains good elasticity, flexibility and other physical properties at -35 degrees.

Good processing performance: TPU can be processed by common thermoplastic material processing methods, such as injection molding, extrusion, calendering and so on. At the same time, TPU and certain polymer materials can be processed together to obtain polymer alloys with complementary properties.

Application classification of TPU

1. Shoe material

TPU is used in footwear mainly because of its excellent elasticity and wear resistance. Footwear containing TPU is much more comfortable than ordinary footwear, therefore, it is more widely used in high-grade footwear, especially some sports shoes and casual shoes.

2. Film

TPU is becoming increasingly popular because of its superior performance and environmentally friendly concept. At present, TPU can be a substitute for PVC wherever PVC is used. TPU film can not only be laminated with various fabrics, but also produce products with clear contours and stable dimensions by means of vacuum thermoforming. With the increasing awareness of environmental protection in China, the application of TPU has become more and more extensive. Among the fields that are increasing at a relatively fast pace: shoe upper lining, thermal underwear, transparent underwear, transparent shoulder straps, elastic bands and breathable tapes for medical use.

3. Adhesives

TPU adhesive belongs to a kind of polyurethane adhesive. The use of polyurethane adhesives has been quite common in Europe and the United States, especially in the use of footwear adhesives, almost using polyurethane adhesives. The use of TPU adhesives in China is to dissolve TPU and obtain polyurethane adhesives after processing.

4. Soft tube

Because TPU hose has a soft, good tensile strength, impact strength high and low temperature resistance, so in China TPU hose is widely used as aircraft, tanks, cars, motorcycles, machine tools and other mechanical equipment such as air and oil hose.

5. Wires

TPU provides tear resistance, abrasion resistance and bending characteristics, and high and low temperature resistance is the key to cable performance. Therefore, in the Chinese market, TPU for higher cables such as control cables and power cables, which are used to protect the coverings of complex cable designs, are increasingly used.

6. Rollers

Polyurethane elastomer with its high mechanical strength, excellent wear resistance, excellent oil resistance, acid and alkali resistance, outstanding resistance to compression and make it has a large number of applications in the roller. Domestic rollers mainly include the following: industrial rollers, household rollers, sports equipment wheels, medical equipment wheels and toy wheels.

7. Plastic modification

It can be used for PA, ABS plasticizing, but the cost is higher.

8. Ink

The main advantages of TPU inks are: excellent adhesion, low viscosity, good flex resistance, excellent abrasion resistance, high gloss, weather resistance, resistance to any sunlight including UV exposure, and excellent toughness and durability in a variety of applications. Both aromatic and aliphatic TPU inks can be used under various climatic and environmental conditions with stable and outstanding performance.