Thermoplastic Elastomers Target Rubber And Plastics Markets

Abstract

The traditional rubber business has little bounce to the ounce these days, although it continues to lope along at about the same rate as the gross national product in consuming countries. But one small segment of the overall rubber business—thermoplastic elastomers—is outrunning the rest of the pack and capturing markets traditionally held not only by other elastomers but by a number of thermoplastics too. Thermoplastic elastomers—which differ from more traditional thermosetting rubber types in thermal characteristics as well as cost and ease of processing—include styrenic block copolymers, polyolefins blended with synthetic or natural rubber, polyurethanes, and polyamides. According to the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP), based in Houston, consumption of thermoplastic elastomers will grow 5.6% per year during the next five years, from 1.9 billion lb last year to 2.5 billion lb in 2000. That's more than double the rate for thermoset elastomers—the more familiar natural rubber...