Thermoplastic Elastomers

Thermoplastic elastomers are a significant part of the elastomers industry. Polymers can be characterized by how they are processed (as thermosets or thermoplastics) and the physical properties (rigid, flexible, or rubbery) of the final product. Thermoplastic elastomers have many physical properties of rubbers, for example, softness, flexibility, and resilience, which they achieve by a physical process compared to the chemical process in vulcanized rubbers. Vulcanization is a thermosetting process and is slow and irreversible. With thermoplastic elastomers, the transition from a processable melt to a solid, rubber-like object is rapid and reversible. Thermoplastic elastomers can be processed using conventional techniques, such as injection molding and extrusion; scrap can be recycled. As the properties of thermoplastic elastomers are usually not as good as those of vulcanized rubbers at higher temperatures, they are used in areas where these properties are less important (footwear, wire insulation, adhesives), but not in areas such as automobile tires.