Lubrizol and Sabic Develop Soft-Rigid Materials

A variety of sustainable material alternatives that integrate both soft and rigid materials have been developed as a result of a partnership between Lubrizol and Sabic. They are suitable for a variety of applications, such as consumer electronics and mobility products.

The companies stated that the materials are intended to assist customers in achieving their sustainability objectives while simultaneously improving the protection of applications that are becoming increasingly fragile and thin. Additionally, they can assist in the optimization of manufacturing processes by consolidating parts. They incorporate Sabic's LNP specialty compounds and copolymers as rigid substrates and Lubrizol's ISCC Plus-certified Estane Eco TPU materials as the soft component. Two-shot injection molding is employed to apply the TPUs to the rigid substrates.

The companies stated that the combination has the potential to reduce the consumption of raw materials by facilitating the production of thin-wall molding. In an effort to enhance durability, it may also offer enhanced chemical resistance.

Laptop and mobile phone cases are potential applications. As an illustration, they recommended a laptop case constructed from a glass fiber-reinforced LNP thermocomp compound from Sabic, which possesses high modulus, low warpage, good ductility, flame retardance, and impact resistance. The overmolded polymer, Estane Eco TPU, provides chemical and abrasion resistance.

“We recognised an industry need for soft and rigid thermoplastic combinations that provide high performance and good bonding strength,” said Jane Cai, Lubrizol’s senior business director for APAC. “But finding the right pairing can be time-consuming for customers. Lubrizol and SABIC combined our strengths and sustainable material portfolios to deliver proven compatible solutions that can help customers reduce their development time and costs and bring new designs and concepts to the market.”

Source: Utech