TPEs add color to applications

It is hard to imagine a world without color. Color impacts emotions, behaviors, or moods, and even triggers responses. Adding color to the design of a product enhances consumer appeal and serves as a differentiator for a brand to give it a competitive edge. To harness the power of color, KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer products and custom solutions for multiple industries, offers customized, economical solutions for colored TPEs.

With easy coloring as a feature, the colored TPE compounds provide excellent color stability for various market applications.

Pitching the perfect hue

KRAIBURG TPE provides the expertise in high color precision for samples and series production. It uses exclusive high-quality and durable pigments and masterbatches for its TPE compounds. As well, the color quality is subject to continuous internal testing to ensure color consistency globally.

The company is also able to provide color samples quickly and offer short delivery times for colored compounds. Pre-coloration is available for TPE compounds for the automotive, consumer, industry and medical markets.

Tactile properties add value to consumer and smart electronic products

The easy-color property of the TPE compounds offers more color options for consumer products such as food and cosmetic packaging. Meanwhile, selected compounds that have excellent color stability accompanied by soft touch surface are suitable for applications in smart devices and wearables, such as virtual reality (VR) devices, smartwatches, or wireless chargers. Other applications may include in-car phone holders and charging devices, power tool handles, and thumb wheels. Additionally, applications requiring contact with human skin, such as remote controls, or headphones, can benefit from the TPE compound’s excellent chemical resistance against sebum, oils and sunscreen.

Solution for automotive applications

Colors enhance design and functionality as well as safety in various automotive applications. KRAIBURG TPE’s colored TPEs are often applied in interior, exterior and powertrain applications.

For interior applications, colored TPEs help to enhance the internal ambience of a vehicle. Colored TPEs are suitable to be applied on thumb wheels, push buttons, switches, floor mats and gearshifts. In addition, our TPEs for automotive interiors feature low odor and low emission properties, which meet car manufacturing regulations.

For exterior applications, such as bumpers, handles, door and window trims, the colored TPEs consistently provide good weathering and UV resistance.

For powertrain applications, the colored TPEs retain their quality and optimal long-term stability, especially for applications such as gasket, grommet, air-duct components, battery seals and sealings in oil management, that are exposed to high temperature and  in contact with motor oil and greases.

Lending color to medical applications

Colors play a role in the identification of key information in medical devices, as well in their design. As well, color aids in the use of the devices, depending on their different functions.

KRAIBURG TPE offers pre-coloration for medical market compounds that are safe and meet the market standard requirement for medical applications.  Colored TPEs are widely used in pharmaceutical packaging with typical applications in lids, closures, valves, seals and gaskets, and other similar parts. They are also used for medical and healthcare services, such as nebulizer, glucose meter, forehead thermometer, and blood pressure monitor, and on parts like connectors, mouthpiece, valves and buttons for electrical devices.