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].

Dow Corning Corp. has introduced its TC-4525 Thermally Conductive Gap Filler to meet fast-growing global demand for improved processability and thermal management in automotive electronics applications. Dow Corning TC-4525 Thermally Conductive Gap Filler is available worldwide, the company said.

This high-performing silicone technology delivers thermal conductivity of 2.5W/m.K, Dow Corning said, greatly improved dispensability, significantly reduced abrasiveness and stable performance for more reliable electronics in harsh automotive underhood environments.

TC-4525 is a soft, compressible, two-part silicone that can be dispensed directly from its original packaging with minimal to no additional process preparation, which makes it well-suited for automated dispensing using standard meter mix equipment. The company claims that its thixotropic properties enable it to dispense easily, avoid slumping on vertical surfaces during assembly and—after cure—maintain its vertical stability even after long use.

Dow Corning said this advanced product platform includes an optional formulation that incorporates glass beads to control bond line thickness during assembly. Precise formulation of the thermally conductive filler enables this material to deliver much lower abrasiveness to lower friction and help reduce maintenance.

To learn more about Dow Corning's advanced silicone technologies for thermal management and other applications, go here.

Elastocon TPE Technologies Inc. has unveiled two grades in the 8000 Series of general purpose series of thermoplastic elastomers, the 8088N (colorable) and 8088BL (black lubricated).

Elastocon said that these TPEs have passed FMVSS302 specifications for flammability, making them suited for automotive interior applications. With both grades supplied as ready to use pellets in 1,000-pound quantities and capable of being overmolded onto polypropylene, they are formulated for different applications:

• 8088N is a Shore A 88, colorable TPE for applications that call for rubber-like properties and a good surface finish ideally suited for consumer goods (and it is FDA compliant too, for food applications, the company said) and industrial applications requiring U.V. stability. This grade is shear dependent and is formulated to process on conventional thermoplastic equipment for injection molding, extrusion or blow molding.

• Elastocon 8088BL, on the other hand, is a Shore A 90 black, lubricated TPE for applications that call for high impact resistance and a reduced COF (coefficient of friction).

Click here for more information.

MonTech Werkstoffprufmaschinen GmbH has released the DisperTester 3000 Plus for faster, more reliable dispersion testing, built on the proven technology of the DisperTester product series.

With this new generation of Dispersion testers, MonTech said it is expanding the possibilities of Dispersion testing as well as adding new, unprecedented features allowing faster and more accurate measurement of filler dispersion in the macro- and micro dispersion range.

The DisperTester 3000 Plus improves current methods by utilizing the latest computer-based image processing technology, MonTech said, and provides accurate, reproducible and quantitative test results. Easy sample preparation and quick automated test sequences allow test times of less than a minute, without the need for specialized operators, the company claimed.

This new instrument offers complete digital technology featuring the most advanced digital USB 3.0 camera linked to a state-of-the-art MonDispersion software system for accurate image analysis in surface scanning as well as deep field scanning modes.

Key features, the company said, include:

• 10 Megapixel camera with telecentric optical system;

• Variable contrast, brightness and exposure;

• Multi-angle and direction LED illumination;

• Multiple readings from one sample placement;

• Agglomerates from 1 to 250 microns can be analyzed;

• Automatic and manual scanning capabilities;

• Meets ISO 11345 and ASTM D7723; and

• Auto-calibration

For more information, go here.