Materials manufacturer Covestro and global plastics compounder Teknor Apex have signed a co-operation agreement on compounding thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

TPU is an extremely versatile plastic, and through compounding the array of achievable properties can be increased considerably further.

Dr. Thorsten Dreier, global head of the TPU business at Covestro, said: “We are happy to team-up with such a competent and complementary partner for processing TPU on a global scale. Together with Teknor Apex, we want to develop customised products to grow together with our existing and new customers.”

The marketing of the jointly developed products will be under Covestro’s Desmoflex brand.

Sachin Sakhalkar, vice president, TPE Division, at Teknor Apex, said: “We are excited to become Covestro’s preferred global compounding partner. The combination of Covestro’s expertise in TPU resin with Teknor Apex’s custom formulation and compounding capabilities provide a compelling value driver for our combined customers worldwide. This new co-operation strengthens our promise to our customers and partners who depend on us to bring tailored solutions for their application needs.”

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) can be made with various properties, ranging from soft to hard and from elastic to stiff, depending on customer requirements. All products have in common a high abrasion and wear resistance as well as chemical and weather resistance. The plastic granulate can be processed into profiles, strips, hoses, fibers, films or foams.

Formulating and compounding steps can be used to create an additional value proposition compared to just a neat resin. For instance, specific end-use requirements such as flame retardancy, adhesion, appearance and haptics etc. can be enhanced through specific formulation and compounding techniques.