HOUSTON — ExxonMobil Chemical has introduced a new high-flow thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) called Santoprene TPV 8211-85 M350, which the company says provides a unique “comfort touch” product with excellent surface qualities for automotive interiors. The new product also offers significant cost-reduction opportunities, according to ExxonMobil Chemical.
Santoprene TPV M350 was designed to meet the needs of automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers looking for cost-effective solutions to enhance the appearance, style and feel of a range of automotive interiors. It offers a range of benefits including high “comfort touch,” low and stable gloss level, high scratch- and mar-resistance, good abrasion and chemical resistance, low fogging and odor emission.
The “comfort touch” provided by Santoprene TPV M350 prevents the cushion-like indentation that is often associated with alternative foamed material structures when pressed. Also colorable, Santoprene TPV M350 is ideal for door panels, center consoles, B-C pillars, lower instrument panels and the back cover of seats, said the company.
“Automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are looking for value-added, high-quality interiors with the opportunity for significant system cost savings. Santoprene TPV M350 can help them meet this challenge through part/function integration, production flexibility and supply chain optimization,” said Hermann-Josef Holz, market developer, global automotive marketing, ExxonMobil Chemical. “It also provides sustainability opportunities because less labor and time is required, scrap can be reduced and recycling improved.”
Santoprene TPV M350 can be processed using two-component injection molding or mono-sandwich molding onto a rigid PP substrate to produce an unfoamed structure that does not indent. Either process provides an over-molded TPV skin with a high “comfort-touch,” said the company.
Providing an excellent cost/performance balance, Santoprene TPV M350 is an ideal alternative to materials currently being used such as rigid polypropylene (PP), PP with soft-touch paint, and in some cases PVC or TPO skins.
