Kraiburg TPE has developed, based on its Thermolast K material series, a more sustainable TPE solution for automotive sealing system applications. The new material combines the performance characteristics known from the previously used product group with a higher share of secondary raw materials. According to the company, the recyclate content, including both post-industrial and post-consumer recyclates, exceeds 50%. At the same time, the material is intended to meet the high requirements of the automotive industry in terms of quality, processability and functionality. The project was carried out in cooperation with SaarGummi, an international supplier to the automotive sector. As stated, the aim of the development work was to prepare a more sustainable material variant that can be integrated into existing applications without deterioration in performance or processing properties. The solution was intended to address the growing importance of environmental criteria across the entire value chain while maintaining the material standards required in technically demanding applications.
The requirements placed on materials used in the automotive industry include not only resistance to mechanical loads and various environmental influences, but also reliable processing under industrial conditions. For this reason, the project partners began work in 2023 on an alternative material solution with an increased recyclate content. The key objective was to maintain the existing material standards while increasing the share of recycled raw materials.
Test results and material parameters
At an early stage of the project, both the previously used material and the new recyclate-containing variant were tested under comparable conditions. According to the companies, the results showed that the new material compound meets the relevant requirements and can be reliably integrated into the production process.
Alexander Mayer, Senior Business Development Manager at Kraiburg TPE, said: "The first results showed that we are on the right track with this development. Our aim was to design a material solution that saves more resources while meeting the high quality standards of the automotive industry."
The result of the joint development work is a TPE solution with a recyclate content of about 56%. This share includes post-industrial and post-consumer recyclates. According to the project partners, the material represents an option that reduces resource consumption in demanding automotive applications.
Sebastien Roux, TPE Material & Process Specialist at SaarGummi, commented: "The new material meets the requirements of our application and can be reliably combined with existing components. At the same time, the increased recyclate content makes an important contribution to greater sustainability." As stated, in addition to increasing the recyclate content, it was also possible to reduce the product carbon footprint, PCF, of this material compared with the previous variant.
The long-standing cooperation between Kraiburg TPE and SaarGummi provides the basis for joint development projects in the field of innovative and recycling-based material solutions for the automotive industry.
