Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers (TPU) Elastollan®– Processing Recommendations
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Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers (TPU) Elastollan®– Processing Recommendations Technical Information Contents General Storage 4 Recommendations Drying 5 Colouring 6 Additives 6 Use of Regrind 6 Post-treatment 7 Health & Safety at Work 8 Disposal 8 Processing Machine Design 9 Injection Moulding Processing Parameters 10 Mould Design 12 Shrinkage 14 Inserts 14 Special Processing Methods 15 Trouble Shooting Guidelines 15 Processing Machine Design 16 Extrusion Processing Parameters 17 Die Design 18 Cooling and Calibration 19 Extrusion Techniques 20 Special Processing Methods 22 Trouble Shooting Guidelines 22 Finishing Procedures Welding 23 Bonding 23 Surface Finishing 23 2 Contents Machining Machining Parameters 24 Drilling 24 Turning 25 Milling 25 Cutting 25 Grinding 25 Punching 25 Quality 26 Management Index of Key Terms 27 Edition: November 2011 3 General Recommendations Storage Elastollan is the protected trade mark Moisture absorption of our thermoplastic polyurethane Polyester-TPU elastomers (TPU). These materials Hardness 80 Shore A – 64 Shore D are used for injection moulding, 0,80 extrusion and blow moulding. 0,70 ] 1 % 0,60 The following recommendations [ should be observed in the process- 0,50 ing of Elastollan materials. 0,40 Humidity Elastollan grades are supplied uncol- 0,30 oured, in diced, cylindrical or lentil- 0,20 2 shaped form. The materials are 0,10 hygroscopic i.e. dry Elastollan, when 0,00 exposed to the atmosphere will 0 12345678 rapidly absorb moisture. Polyether- Time [h] based Elastollan grades absorb 1 – Standard atmosphere 40°C/92% rel. hum. more rapidly moisture than polyester- 2 – Standard atmosphere based grades. 23°C/50% rel. hum. Fig.1 Figures 1 and 2 show the rate of moisture absorption. Storage in dry conditions, if possible Moisture absorption at room temperature, is therefore Polyether-TPU recommended. Hardness 80 Shore A – 64 Shore D 0,80 In order to prevent condensation, ] 0,70 % material stored in cool conditions [ 1 should be brought to room tempera- 0,60 ture before opening the container. 0,50 Humidity Containers should be tightly closed 0,40 0,30 after use. The granulate should be 2 exposed to the surrounding air only 0,20 for as long as absolutely essential. It is therefore important to cover the 0,10 feed hopper of the processing 0,00 0 12345678 machine. Drying is recommended if Time [h] the container has been opened 1 – Standard atmosphere several times. 40°C/92% rel. hum. 2 – Standard atmosphere 23°C/50% rel. hum. Fig. 2 4 General Recommendations Drying Excessive moisture content in the Conventional circulating-air ovens, granulate can lead to processing vacuum drying cabinets and problems and to a reduction in the dehumidified air dryers are suitable quality of the finished part. for this purpose. For recommended drying parameters see table 1. Foaming of the plasticized material or the formation of gas bubbles in the When using circulating-air ovens, the melt are indications that the moisture layer of granulate should not exceed content is excessively high. Vari- 4 cm in height. With dehumidified air ations in output during extrusion dryers, the total available capacity processing are in many cases may be utilized. After drying, the attributable to insufficient pre- granulate should be immediately drying. stored in dry containers which can be securely sealed. In order to ensure optimal perform- ance properties in the finished When colour masterbatches and Elastollan parts, it is necessary that additives are used, care must be the material is dried before process- taken to see that they are also ing. Water content of the granulate dried. Therefore it is better to should not exceed 0.02%. pre-mix with the granulate before the drying process to make sure that the whole product is dried. Drying recommendations Elastollan hardness Drying time Drying temperature Circulating air Dehumidified air Shore A 78 to 90 2 to 3 hours 100 to 110˚C 80 to 90˚C harder than Shore A 90 2 to 3 hours 100 to 120˚C 90 to 120˚C Ta ble 1 Drying diagram for Elastollan 0,40 0,35 ] % 0,30 [ Dehumidified air 0,25 dryer 110 °C Circulating-air 0,20 oven 110 °C 0,15 Circulating-air oven, 90°C Residual moisture 0,10 0,05 0,00 0306090120 150180 Drying time [min] Fig. 3 5 General Recommendations Colouring All grades in our Elastollan range can There is a risk that non-Elastollan- be coloured. Masterbatches based based colour masterbatches will on TPU are most suitable for this prove incompatible with Elastollan purpose. The normal level of addition grades. Poor pigment dispersion and of colour masterbatch is 2%, how- a lack of colouring strength, as well ever, Elastollan grades containing as poor surface finish and possible pre-included additives, e.g. flame loss of quality may result. retardant types, may require a high loading to achieve the full depth of colour. Additives Various additives can be used to • Anti blocking agents enhance the properties of Elastollan materials. Following additives • Release agents supplied as Elastollan master- batches are available: • UV stabilizers Use of Regrind Depending on finished parts quality Material which has been contam- requirements, up to 30% of regrind inated or degraded is not suitable for can be recycled with virgin material. reprocessing. The material type and Shore hard- ness of the regrind should be iden- Continuous recycling of regrind can tical to that of virgin Elastollan and lead to a reduction in the quality of has be free of contaminations. finished parts. Certain quality requirements laid down in specifica- Ideally, regrind should be diced, tions may exclude the use of regrind dried and re-used without inter- material. mediate storage. 6 General Recommendations Post-treatment Moulded Elastollan parts require During annealing articles with low several weeks storage at room tem- dimensional stability should be perature to attain full mechanical stored in such a way that deforma- properties. To achieve optimal func- tion is avoided. tional properties in a shorter period, annealing of the finished parts is Extruded parts are annealed only in necessary. This heat treatment can special cases. be undertaken in a circulating-air oven. Annealing: Recommended duration and Table 2 shows typical values for temperature: 20 hours at 100 "C cured vs uncured Elastollan grades. Effect of curing on Elastollan properties Properties Unit DIN Cured Uncured Uncured Uncured 20 h20 h7 d35 d 100°C23°C23°C23°C Elastollan C 90 A 55 Hardness Shore A53505 91 91 92 92 Tensile strength MPa53504 48 42 44 46 Elongation % 53504 580 570 550 500 Tear strength N/mm 5351598808385 Abrasion mm3 53516 22 54 30 29 Compression set at 70 ° %53517 33 60 53 50 Elastollan C 1190 A 55 Hardness Shore A53505 90 89 91 91 Tensile strength MPa53504 48 43 45 46 Elongation % 53504 550 560 530 500 Tear strength N/mm 5351585747379 Abrasion mm3 53516 19 48 34 27 Compression set at 70 ° %53517 36 70 65 65 Table 2 7 General Recommendations Health & Safety at Work Depending on the grade used, Basically, onset of decomposition Elastollan can be processed and can be expected from temperatures machined over a wide range of tem- of around 230°C upwards. Where perature. elastomer melts emerge to the air, there is a possibility that the vapours As with all natural or synthetic released under such conditions will organic substances, decomposition affect the workplace. is possible above certain tempera- tures. The rate of decomposition will For this reason, an effective extrac- depend on the temperature applied tion system, especially in the melt and the grade of material used. outlet zone, is recommended. Disposal Elastollan materials are fully reacted and present no hazard to the environ- ment. Waste can therefore be dis- posed at public waste disposal sites or refuse incineration plants. The official regulations on waste disposal should be observed. For further information see our safety data sheets. 8 Processing Injection Moulding Machine Design Screw injection moulding machines A check ring (shut-off ring) should be with single-flighted, 3-zone screws incorporated. Both free flow and are suitable for the processing of automatic shut off nozzles are Elastollan. Because of the high shear suitable, although care should be stress, short compression-zone taken to ensure smooth flow through screws are not suitable. the nozzle channels. Dead spots where the melt could accumulate The following screw design has and become charred should be proven successful (see Fig. 4): avoided. The compression ratio should be around 1:2 and should not exceed 1:3. The recommended flight depths are shown in Fig. 5. Screw configuration (diagrammatic view) D Metering zone Compression zone Feeding zone 0,25 L 0,35 L 0,40 L L = 18–22 D Fig. 4 Relation: screw diameter – flight depth (feeding zone) 14 ] m m 12 [ 10 8 6 Flight depth (feeding zone) 4 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100110 120 Screw diameter [mm] Fig. 5 9 Processing Injection Moulding Processing Parameters To ensure trouble-free processing temperature controllers accordingly and consistently high quality (see table 4). moulded parts, precise and constant temperature control in the injection As Elastollan melts are shear- moulding cylinder is necessary. sensitive, excessive screw speed can cause reduced product The temperature should increase by properties. roughly 10 to 20°C from the feeding zone to the metering zone. Nozzle Fig. 6 shows recommended screw temperature should be adjusted to speeds in relation to screw diameter. suit the melt temperature. Where cycles are interrupted for Table 3 shows the recommended longer periods, the material remain- barrel temperatures for various ing in the cylinder will become over- ranges of hardness: heated. It is therefore necessary to purge out the cylinder before It is recommended to measure melt resuming production.