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].

Elastocon TPE Technologies Inc. has expanded its clear CLR Series to include several new, softer grades (Shore 15 40 A)., which have been formulated for consumer goods and applications requiring clarity, a soft touch and UV stability, the company said.

Elastocon said the four new CLR grades are offered in Shore A hardnesses of 15, 20, 30, 35 and 40. This plasticizer-free TPE series of additions provide non-blooming high strength properties as well as a tactile surface finish. They are FDA compliant and give designers and molders an excellent alternative to silicone and PVC, making them ideally suited for applications including medical products and children's toys, the company said.

Applications that can used with the odorless TPEs include countertop electronics, appliances, furniture and desk accessories (protective feet and pads) as well as protective covers for consumer electronic products.

The company claims these new grades, along with the others in the CLR series, can be overmolded onto polypropylene, require no drying and are easy to process.

For more information, visit www.elastocontpe.com.

Matthews Marking Systems has developed an ink jet printing system designed specifically for rubber marking and the tire industry.

The ink jet system features an ink jet controller, one or two 8000+ Series drop on demand print heads and a unique agitating and circulating ink system in combination with a curable white pigmented ink.

Matthews Marking said the 4-liter large capacity ACIS uses an internal pump and an air driven agitation propeller to provide constant circulation of the pigmented ink, achieving reliable uptime, as well as reduced maintenance. The ink is a fast dry, HAPS free, curable, white pigmented formula, which conforms to tread production without transfer in the mold and without leaving a shadow of the previous mark, the company claimed, and it has no adverse effect on the finished tire.

The Matthews 8000+ print heads are available in 16 or 32 valve configuration, Matthews Marking said, with each head prints two to four lines of text, in sizes ranging from six to 127mm.

The Matthews ink jet print controller provides integration with PLCs, and other devices, for automatic code and recipe changes, as well as a flexible, user-friendly communication protocol interface via RS232 or Ethernet.

For more information, visit www.matthewsmarking.com.

Bluestar Silicones USA Corp. is expanding its silicone offering to support select long-term implant applications as part of its strategy to expand its presence in the global health care market.

Bluestar Silicones said the company's new 226,000-sq-ft facility in York, S.C., will be the global center for the company's implant grade liquid silicone rubber, high consistency rubber and room temperature vulcanized rubber.

The company is broadening its high durometer LSR portfolio, adding a 65 Shore A (ShA) hardness material to its high performance lineup. Silbione LSR 4365 offers a middle ground solution between the exceptional physicals of Silbione LSR 4360 and Silbione LSR 4370, Bluestar Silicones said, enabling product designers to optimize final part performance requirements.

The company offers a 1 ShA material, Silbione LSR 4301, delivering high tear strength and elongation for soft cushioning and vibration dampening applications combined with the ease of processing and improved productivity advantages, according to Bluestar Silicones.

In the health care RTV realm, Bluestar Silicones is introducing the Silbione RTV 4040, which expands its high performance health care product line with a low viscosity, easy-to-pour RTV that can be used with multiple catalysts for a variety of hardness (20 to 45 ShA) in a 10:1 formulation, the company said.

Silbione Flesh 10 ADD is a new additive that, when added to Silbione RTVs, reduces shock and vibration and provides realistic flesh-like feel in prosthetic devices.

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