A weekly look at new products, innovations

Editor's Note: Each week, Rubber & Plastics News will take a look at some of the rubber industry's new products and innovations on www.rubbernews.com. Does your company have a new product or new innovation? To be considered for inclusion in this recurring feature, email [email protected].

Wacker A.G. released various products at the recent 2014 Expobor show.

Products include:

• Elastosil LR 3094/60: a liquid silicone rubber that can be used to make molded gaskets for engine cooling circuits. This fast-curing liquid silicone rubber is designed for cost-effective, large-scale production of spark plug boots, Wacker said, and its rubber-elastic cured rubber grades feature heat resistance, good mechanical properties and dielectric properties. Spark plug boots and other technical products made of Elastosil LR 3094/60 do not require postcuring, Wacker said. Cured Elastosil LR 3094/60 rubber grades withstand temperatures of -55 to +210 degrees Celsius.

• Elastosil R 781/80: a solid silicone rubber filled with tiny magnetizable particles. The filler particles consist of magnetite, a ferrimagnetic material, Wacker said, and lends itself to the manufacture of magnetizable molded parts and profiles that, after magnetization, act like weak permanent magnets. As a solid silicone rubber, Elastosil R 781/80 can be processed by conventional molding processes and extrusion, the company said. The cured rubber is heat-resistant and will withstand temperatures ranging from -40 to +200 degrees Celsius. After postcuring, the rubber grades are suitable for applications involving contact with food and meet the requirements of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Wacker said.

• Elastosil LR 3022/60: a liquid silicone rubber that enables the manufacture of molded gaskets that can be used in automotive engine cooling systems. In its cured state, the new grade retains a low compression set, Wacker said, even under long-term load in direct contact with coolants. Standard silicone elastomers are not really suitable as sealants in the hot areas of engine cooling circuits. As soon as these elastomers come into contact with a coolant—usually a water/glycol mixture higher than 100 degrees Celsius—some of the key properties for leak-tightness, such as elasticity and rebound resilience, deteriorate, the company said. Elastosil LR 3022/60 retains its rebound resilience, which ensures high leak-tightness in the seal groove.

• Elastosil LR 3003/60 is an easily pigmented and fasting curing liquid silicone rubber that cures to form a transparent elastomer with a Shore A hardness of 60 and mechanical and dielectric properties, Wacker said. Thanks to enhanced production technology, the cured rubber's hardness is within the narrow range of ± 3 Shore A values. It can be processed by injection molding.

• Elastosil LR 3040/50 is a liquid silicone rubber that is food-compatible and facilitates cost-effective, large-scale production of tear-resistant silicone products, such as baby pacifiers and recreational items.

For more information, go to www.wacker.com.

Kraton Performance Polymers Inc. has introduced two high-performance styrenic block copolymers. Kraton MD6951 and MD1648 present a unique balance of high elasticity, extraordinary tensile strength and exceptional lower melt viscosity, Kraton said, which will allow for a host of new process applications to be explored.

The Kraton MD6951 is the newest HSBC in the Kraton family and has several applications, including soft touch over molding, which produces such products as cell phone protectors and power tool grips, protective cling films and sound dampening materials. Its increased polarity makes it compatible with thermoplastic polyurethane, polystyrene, polyphenylene oxide, among others, Kraton said, and is FDA-compliant, possesses exceptional elasticity and makes everyday products more durable, resilient and comfortable.

The MD1648 is an enhanced rubber segment styrenic block copolymer. Historically, SBCs had certain limitations because of high viscosity, making them unsuitable for fine fiber processing, Kraton said. However, because MD1648 possesses high elasticity and strength together with low viscosity, it can run on existing melt blown process equipment, the firm said. In addition, MD1648 may be leveraged to improve polypropylene modified household goods, automotive parts, hot melt adhesives like bonding tapes, spray and aerosol adhesives and insulating materials.

For more information, visit http://www.kraton.com.

Emerald Specialties Group introduced two 100 percent active foam blast defoamers for coatings and graphic arts, including aqueous and energy curable applications.

Foam Blast 4213 is an organo-modified silicone synthetic antifoam product, while Foam Blast 4149 is a synthetic block copolymer composition developed as a non-silicone alternative. Both products offer excellent initial and long-term foam control for products, Emerald Specialties said, such as interior and architectural coatings and flexographic inks.

Foam Blast 4213 and 4149 can be added at low use levels (0.2–0.6 percent) during pigment grinding or let-down to achieve excellent long-term foam control and a superior finish free of defects, craters or fisheyes caused by foam, Emerald Specialties said. Both are low-VOC and free of alkylphenol ethoxylates.

Foam Blast 4213 is optimized for clarity in low-VOC architectural coatings, high-gloss coatings and water-based industrial coatings and flexographic/gravure inks, the company said. Foam Blast 4149 is a mineral-oil-free defoamer recommended for acrylic emulsions, low-VOC coatings, high-gloss architectural coatings, high pigment load coatings and clear and waterborne wood coatings, Emerald Specialties said.

Visit www.emeraldmaterials.com for more information.