Elastocon TPE Technologies Inc. is responding to customer requests by offering materials in order sizes of less than 1 million pounds.
Officials with Springfield, Ill.-based Elastocon said that the firm has multiple grades in stock to fill orders of this size.
According to the company, most firms prefer requests for 1 million pounds or more, but Elastocon can handle orders for as little as 10,000 pounds.
In a June 27 interview with Plastics News, President David Barkus said the firm is seeing good growth this year in TPE grades sold into medical, consumer products and automotive applications. The firm does most of its work in SEBS-type styrenic block copolymers, he added, but also has some business in copolyesters.
Materials currently in stock for Elastocon include its 2000 Series TPEs for overmolding onto polyethylene and several new grades in the STK Series of TPEs for various types for overmolding onto a wide variety of other substrates.
At the recent NPE2018, Elastocon introduced two new medical grades of TPEs in their 8000 series. Both grades are suited for respirators and other medical products and have passed USD Class VI testing. Officials described the new grades as "colorable and rubberlike with good surface finish."
Barkus founded Elastocon in 1999. The firm now operates seven production lines at a 35,000-square-foot location in Springfield. Demand growth likely will lead Elastocon to add a new production line within the next two years, Barkus said.
Elastocon has about 50 people involved in its operations, including those involved with outsourcing work.
