Soft touch

Recently, there has been considerable interest in soft-touch materials composed of thermoplastic and mbber blends. These materials when over-molded on hard or stiff stmctures such as hand tools, domestic appliances, writing gadgets, cellular phones, photographic equipments, etc. provide soft and comfortable feeling to the hand. 

Such soft-touch materials are usually TP Vs or thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) which combine the moldability of thermoplastics in the melt state with elasticity, lower hardness, fracture resistance, and surface characteristics of elastomers. However, plastics and elastomers respond differently to mechanical stress. Hence, both rheological behavior and mechanical strength will to a large extent depend on the morphology of the blend which may change with change in the composition. 

Material selection (mono-materials, soft touch, nonsensitising, environmentally friendly)... 

The properties of polyurethanes can be tailored by prudent selection of their constituent monomers. They can be converted into elastic foams, which are widely used in upholstery, and are used as covers for the handles of various tools and implements, such as the soft touch grips on bail-point pens and power tools. 

Automotive soft skins for interior and instrument panels, claddings, lower B pillar skins, soft-touch overmoulding. .. 

SBS applications are generally in footwear, adhesives, bitumen modification, low-specification seals and soft-touch grips. 

UV and/or heat stabilized, oil extended, low temperature, soft touch, transparent, ster-ilizable, food contact, for heavy soundproofing parts, high purity for medical or pharmaceutical applications, very low hardness, conductive, additives for modification of other polymers. .. 

TPS are used in the footwear, automotive, construction, hygiene, packaging, sports and leisure, consumer durable and disposable sectors for various moulded and extruded technical goods, soft-touch overmoulding, etc., SEES satisfying more stringent specifications than SBS particularly versus heat and weathering. 

UV and/or heat stabilized improved colour and gloss retention cold-temperature ductility and flexibility soft touch food contact low hardness conductive high stiffness high-impact ultra-high impact high modulus colourable scratch resistant paint performance electrostatic painting. .. 

TPO skins for low-pressure injection moulding. .. insulation of electric wires, connectors... workbench feet, appliance feet, supports and pads... returnable packaging, totes and bins... handles, soft-touch overmoulding. .. profiles, tubes, pipes, sheathing. .. toys... 

The Majer Precision print head employs spring action to control pin movement. Each pin is seated in a spring coil, and this allows a similar soft-touch landing and gentle but controlled rebound of each pin upon striking the surface. The Genetix pin head seats each pin between microball bearings to achieve low friction travel and precise rebound. 

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