KRAIBURG TPE produces a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) products, which are suitable not only for various interior and exterior applications, but also in engine compartments and automotive powertrains.
Gutsche Engineering is a company specializing in the production of vehicle components. The company collaborates with KRAIBURG TPE in the production of innovative roof rail covers.
The compound's excellent weather resistance and powerful ASA encapsulation allow Gutsche Engineering to achieve cost-effective and high-quality product parts.
This innovative part of Gutsche Engineering includes an assembly cover with all-round sealing. In many places it was sealed, the sealing operation can only be performed from under the roof rail, which is very expensive.
In fact, simplifying the assembly process for OEMs is just one of the advantages of this multi-component component. Thermoplastic A from KRAIBURG TPE allows Gutsche Engineering to achieve ASA and TPE encapsulation in a multi-component injection molding process.
Martin Gutsche, General Manager of Gutsche Engineering, explained: "We were looking for a TPE for sealing that could be molded directly onto the ASA rigid parts of the lid to ensure permanent and reliable encapsulation with this copolymer."
"Another decisive factor is the encapsulation of TPE, which allows us to minimize cavity pressure to adopt thinner sealing lip geometries without leaving marks on hard parts. The development of the concept, in order to achieve the quality of the parts required by the product, TPE processing and product attributes also played an important role in it. "He added.
Due to the successful project cooperation between the two parties in the past, Gutsche Engineering began to study the Kapok® rubber's encapsulation in the early stages of development to find the TPE best suited for the company's innovative applications. Matthias Michl is an expert at KRAIBURG TPE Germany's headquarters in Germany, specializing in window packaging, closures and frames.
He said: "To determine the adhesion of various material combinations based on different processing parameters, KRAIBURG TPE provides special testing-specific services to help them verify the peel resistance of their products according to the VDI 2019 standard."
"Experience tells us that including partners in the early stages of the project and related preliminary tests can minimize development costs and accelerate product launches, which will play a decisive role in this regard."
In addition to its encapsulation with polar thermoplastics, the selected Thermoplastic A compound material is highly fluid and can be used to fill molds with complex geometrical shapes. Since the roof rail cover is installed at the highest point of the vehicle, the requirements for weather resistance are also high.
The thermoplastic A compound used by the company can meet the strict requirements of OEMs, provide gray levels greater than 4 levels, and weather for two years in advance according to PV 3929 and PV 3930 standards.
In addition, this material has proven its extraordinary value during outdoor weathering. Thanks to the excellent weather resistance of Thermoplastic A compound, the geometric sealing lip made from it, although thin, has passed the outdoor weathering test without cracking.
Since the first quarter of 2019, this application of Thermoplastic Bao A has entered the mass production stage, helping the company to create a high-quality SUV roof rail system.
"Exterior applications are increasingly becoming a very important part of KRAIBURG TPE's business. KRAIBURG TPE has further expanded its product portfolio while providing high-quality surfaces while offering exceptional polar encapsulation and high weather resistance to meet Customers' growing needs in this area. KRAIBURG TPE's new compounds set new standards for exterior applications, and most importantly, it can improve the packaging of PMMA and ASA while achieving precise surface textures. Gummy, "added Matthias Michl.