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].

APS Elastomers has released Viprene thermoplastic vulcanizate, which is formulated with polypropylene and is a crosslinked EPDM.

The Viprene TPV exhibits many properties similar to rubber, with flexibility over a wide temperature range and resistance to degradation from water, oil and grease. Additionally, APS said Viprene TPV has a high compression set and exhibits good flow characteristics and can be co-extruded or injection molded to a variety of substrates. These qualities make them an ideal material for architectural gaskets and insulation seals used in window profiles, APS said.

UV resistant and heat stabilized with a brittleness temperature value of -76⁰ F, APS claimed Viprene TPVs can be optimized with specific softness needed in industrial and construction applications. APS said Viprene TPVs are available in natural or black pellets in a Shore hardness range of 35 Shore A to 50 Shore D. Applications include, but are not limited to, gaskets, O-rings, door and window seals, power steering, brake and fuel hoses, electrical insulation, construction and industrial parts.

For more information, go here or contact [email protected].

Comau has introduced a new high-speed, six-axis articulated robot featuring a payload of 3kg and a reach of just 630 mm.

The company said Racer3, the third robot within the Racer family, is Comau's response to the growing market demand for fast, cost-effective robotic automation within small to medium-sized enterprises and emerging countries. Racer3 features a streamlined design and brushed metal exterior that shows speed, precision and repeatability, the company said.

Built from high-strength aluminum, Comau said the newest paradigm in Comau robotics weighs 30kg and can be mounted on benches, walls, ceilings or on inclined supports.

Leveraging the company's experience in the automotive industry, Comau said the Racer3 combines field-proven technology and enhanced dexterity with a focus on safety, design and product aesthetics. Additionally, the Racer3 has a compact design, aluminum construction, exceptional stability and a user-friendly control interface, Racer3 is a highly efficient manipulation and assembly solution that can adapt to any environment, Comau said, which means that SMEs in virtually any industry can automate, with extreme accuracy, precision and intelligence, even the most delicate manufacturing processes.

For more details, go here.

Morphix Inc. has selected Solvay Specialty Polymers' Radel polyphenylsulfone resin for lighter, longer lasting designs for its Humbolt and Flatiron tattoo needle grips.

Morphix explained it has designed its grips to help relieve the pain and discomfort associated with repetitive-use stress injuries that tattoo artists often experience. As an alternative to conventional metals, Solvay's injection-moldable Radel PPSU resin enabled the company to develop affordable lightweight grips, Morphix said, with more ergonomic contours and surface textures and to offer grips in a wider selection of colors.

Morphix, the first manufacturer to make a sterilizable, injection-molded tattoo grip, had long sought to extend the lifetime of its products. Thus, the company has sampled various materials since introducing these grips in 2008, including polysulfone polyethylenimine, polyethersulfone, polyoxymethylene, polybutylene terephthalate and polyphenylene sulfide.

Even with all this testing, the best performance that earlier models of the Humbolt and Flatiron grips could achieve was 250 sterilization cycles before failure modes started to appear, the company said. Additionally, Morphix said the costs to manufacture these same grips out of aluminum priced Morphix out of the market.

Morphix said Radel PPSU not only will allow Morphix's redesigned grips to last four times longer than earlier designs, it also will help them maintain their aesthetics longer in the tattoo parlor's environment of dried ink, blood, harsh surface disinfectants and the daily rigors of steam-heat sterilization.

For more information, click here.