The therapeutic art of creativity with TPEs

Ahead of the “new normal”, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Stay-at-Home economy is starting to unfold. This has seen lifestyles changing dramatically in compliance to national lockdowns, thus resulting in major activities, including work and recreation, being held indoors. One way of spending quality time with children and also family members is to enjoy and inspire them to delve into the art and craft sector, which can help develop their creative and thinking skills, while improving interactive relations.

For the elderly, who are prone to cognitive decline, art and craft activities are believed to be able to improve cognitive health and motor functions. Owing to its ergonomic and functional characteristics, TPE is a recommended material application for designing art and craft accessories, specifically for applications that require sealing, soft-touch surfaces and grips.

TPEs for durability and comfortable handling

KRAIBURG TPE’s thermoplastic elastomers are frequently used as hard-soft combinations, for soft-touch design, or functional elements as well as impact resistance modifiers in art and craft tools and accessories. The THERMOLAST® K TPE series has a wide range of hardness from supersoft <10 Shore A up to 60 Shore D. It can be processed by multi-component injection molding, with a wide range of materials such as PP, ABS, PC, PC/ABS, PCT, PETG, ASA, SAN, PMMA, PA6/6.6/12, POM, PS, HIPS, etc. The selected TPE compound range features materials that can come with properties such as thermal stability, abrasion resistance, or scratch resistance.

Thus, the THERMOLAST® K materials are ideal for use in producing knobs of stand drawing boards, handles of paper cutters, grips of stamping sticks, drawing pens and pencil sharpener surfaces and color pallets. Other applications are paddles of the pottery wheel ceramic machine, ring cutters, handle hooks, crochet needle handles, yarn needles, and many other items.

Adding variety to applications

KRAIBURG TPE materials, including the THERMOLAST® K materials are recyclable and free from latex, PVC, phthalates, or heavy metals. The TPE can be processed through both injection molding and extrusion. Aside from the various color options available in-house, KRAIBURG TPE also ensures worldwide consistent color quality from experts, to inspire creativity in designing applications.