Fairlawn, Ohio — TSRC Corp. is designing three new styrenic block copolymers that will be commercially available in 2017.
The materials are soft, processable SEBS-type SBCs for use in compounds, polymer modification specialist Parashar Davé said at TPE TopCon 2016, Sept. 20-22 in Fairlawn, Ohio.
Customers need SEBS materials that offer ease of processing without oil and that are compatible with polyolefins, he added. They also are seeking SEBS grades that can handle higher filler loads and that have excellent flow characteristics.
The new TSRC materials can meet these needs for applications in film, packaging, medical and wire and cable, Davé said. “We can change styrene and vinyl content and molecular weight to fit an application,” he explained. “These will be the softest available SEBS grades.”
One of the new materials is a high-vinyl SEBS that's designed to be compounded with polypropylene. The grade can increase elongation and decrease hardness while retaining transparency. It's being aimed at medical tubing, IV bags and packaging.
TSRC was founded in 1973 and ranks as Taiwan's largest synthetic rubber compounder. The Taipei-based firm employs 1,400 at eight sites worldwide and has annual sales of almost $1 billion.
TSRC added North American production in 2010 when it acquired SBC maker Dexco Polymers of Plaquemine, La. TSRC has continued to operate a plant there and also has a North American office in Houston.
