Their thermoplastic nature allows TPVs, unlike traditional vulcanized rubbers, to be melted and reprocessed multiple times.
Fisher reported the dynamic vulcanization process through his prior work on polypropylene and EPDM rubber-based TPVs with peroxides as a cross-linking agent.
A combination of elastomeric properties, including compressibility, tension sets, aging performance, and chemical resistance, characterizes TPVs.
Although TPVs are part of the TPE family of polymers, they behave closer to EPDM thermoset rubbers in terms of their elastomeric properties.
In the appliance sector, a dishwasher sump boot was developed where Santoprene TPV provided sealing and resistance to heat and fluids.
Santoprene TPV was also successful in the domestic and high-rise construction sectors in applications such as window seals, caster wheels, tubing, small hose parts, electrical connectors, and coatings for wires and cables.
Santoprene TPV is a dynamically vulcanized polymer alloy consisting mostly of fully cured EPDM rubber particles encapsulated in a polypropylene (PP) matrix.
The properties of thermoplastic vulcanizates include: Commercial TPV grades can be designed for a broad range of specific engineering applications, with grades ranging from hardness of 35 Shore A to 50 Shore D. Thermoplastic vulcanization is used commercially for weather seals as a lightweight alternative to thermoset rubber materials in semi-dynamic and static parts.
It is also commonly used for residential glazing seals because of its low air- and water-infiltration ratings for the life of window and door systems.
Commercial TPV is used in wiring connectors to make watertight seals with electrical and thermal resistance, insulation for high voltage applications, and parts requiring the use of temperatures down to −60 °C.
For applications requiring watertight seals, TPV enables connectors to be insert-molded to cable jacketing, producing a single integral part.
Injection molding: TPV can be processed using conventional thermoplastics injection-molding equipment at reduced cycle times compared to thermoset rubber.