Skip to main content

Materials Sciences:
Which Material for Which Application?

Our products are made from elastomers, thermoplastics, or polyurethanes (PUR). We provide you with the necessary basic knowledge about our materials and their properties to determine what is suited for your applications.

Elastomers

Elastomers – whether natural rubber or synthetic rubber – are our specialty. All elastomer variants (NR, SBR, NBR, HNBR, EPDM, CR, FKM, SI) are possible, always tailored to the required application in the areas of vibration isolation or damping, sealing technology or coating.

NR

Natural rubber (NR), also known as natural latex, is a naturally derived product primarily obtained from the rubber tree in the form of latex (rubber milk). NR exhibits some of the best dynamic properties, including elasticity, durability, high tensile strength, and abrasion resistance. Unfortunately, its resistance to ageing and ozone, as well as to oils and greases, is very low. NR is used extensively in technical rubber articles like seals, hoses, and rubber-metal products, as well as in applications like conveyor belts, vehicle tires, and straps.

Properties of NR:

  • Usable in dry environment from -40°C to +70°C
  • Available hardness range from 30 – 90 Shore A
  • Good elasticity and mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation, notch resistance, abrasion resistance)
  • High flexural fatigue strength
  • Low resistance to ozone, oils and greases in general
  • Tensile strength at 7 to 30 N/mm²

SBR

Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) is the oldest and, in terms of quantities, the most important synthetic rubber. Compared to NR, SBR boasts better abrasion resistance as well as improved heat and aging resistance. However, its elasticity is much worse, as is its unfavorable flexibility at low temperatures. Two-thirds of global production is used in tire production.

NBR

Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is a synthetic rubber and is widely used for various applications. NBR offers excellent mechanical properties and high resistance to oil and petrol. For use at higher temperatures, the temperature resistance of this elastomer can be tailored by adjusting the nitrile content. NBR is therefore ideal for seals or hoses that come into contact with oils or greases.

Properties NBR:

  • Usable in dry environment from -35°C to +120°C.
  • Available hardness range from 30 – 80 Shore A.
  • High (transformer) oil and petrol resistance.
  • Tensile strength at 7 to 25 N/mm².

HNBR

Hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) is a specialty rubber with improved properties compared to NBR. By hydrogenating the carbon-carbon double bonds, heat resistance can be enhanced while preserving oil and petrol resistance.

Properties HNBR:

  • No temperature dependency of mechanical values
  • Low compression set, especially at high temperatures
  • Good low temperature properties
  • Very good ozone resistance

EPDM

EPDM stands for Ethylene Propylene Diene Rubber and is the elastomer for outdoor use. It has excellent resistance to ozone, aging, and weathering. Generally, it has good resistance to polar substances such as water, alcohol, glycol ether-based brake fluid, as well as acids and bases. However, EPDM has poor resistance to organic solvents such as mineral oils or fuels. In terms of quantity, EPDM is most commonly used in the automotive industry in the form of sealing, profile, or hose solutions. This rubber is also used in white goods and as profiles in construction.

Merkmale EPDM:

  • Usable in dry environment from -50°C to +120°C, with water and steam up to +130°C
  • Available hardness range from 30 – 90 Shore A
  • Excellent resistance to weathering, aging, ozone, chemicals, hot water, and steam
  • Good resistance to polar liquids like acetone, methanol, etc.
  • Low water vapour permeability and good heat resistance
  • Extremely low brittle temperature
  • Tensile strength at 7 to 20 N/mm²

CR

CR (Chloroprene Rubber), also known by the trade name Neoprene® (DuPont), has several different trade names from other manufacturers. With appropriate protective agents, CR has reasonably good resistance to ozone and aging, as well as satisfactory resistance to oil. Due to its high chlorine content, CR is flame-retardant and self-extinguishing (it may burn within a flame but extinguishes when the flame is removed; this depends on the plasticizers used). The mechanical properties of this rubber are good and well-balanced. It has good resistance to swelling from mineral oils with paraffinic and naphthenic structures but poor resistance to aromatic and polar organic media (esters, ketones).

Properties CR:

  • Usable in dry environment from -30°C to +100°C
  • Available hardness range from 30 – 90 Shore A
  • Good to very good resistance to weathering, ageing, ozone and chemicals
  • Good resistance to polar liquids such as acetone, methanol, etc.
  • Tensile strength at 7 to 20 N/mm²

FKM / FFKM

Fluorocarbon Rubber (FKM) is a copolymer, also known as VitonTM (DuPont). FKM is flame-retardant and, compared to other elastomers, has an outstanding resistance to high temperatures, ozone, oxygen, and aggressive chemicals. FFKM (Perfluoroelastomer) is a high-performance elastomer combining the thermal stability and chemical resistance of PTFE (Teflon) with the rubber-like properties of FKM elastomers to a large extent.

Properties FKM / FFKM:

  • Usable in dry environment from -20°C to +200°C, for FFKM, use at 0°C to +260°C
  • Available hardness range from 50 – 95 Shore A, for FFKM, from 70 – 90 Shore A
  • Excellent resistance to weathering, ageing, ozone and chemicals, even better with FFKM
  • FKM is susceptible to hydrolysis, i.e. not resistant to hot water
  • FFKM has high flame resistance.
  • Tensile strength at 7 to 17 N/mm², with FFKM at 13 and 23 N/mm²

MFQ

Fluorosilicone rubber (MFQ) is a type of silicone elastomer that differs from other elastomers in that it doesn’t have purely organic molecular chains but is composed of silicone and oxygen atoms (siloxanes). These are crosslinked either in solid or liquid form. MFQ is particularly resistant to mineral oils and fuels, and it also exhibits good resistance to heat, ozone, and chemicals. However, its mechanical properties are inferior to those of other elastomers, though they remain stable and unaffected by temperature changes.

Properties MFQ:

  • Usable in dry environment from -70°C to +180°C
  • Available hardness range from 20 – 80 Shore A
  • Excellent resistance to weathering, ageing, ozone and chemicals
  • Tensile strength at 4 to 10 N/mm²

Thermoplastics

With thermoplastics, we particularly focus on the so-called thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), as well as thermoplastic vulcanised polymers (TPV). TPEs are thermoplastics (plastics) with similar properties as elastomers at room temperature. When heated, TPEs can be plastically deformed, demonstrating their thermoplastic behavior, which allows them to return to a plastic state, simplifying recycling. Various types of TPEs and their combination with elastomers allow for a wide range of applications in sealing technology or two-component moulded parts.

Properties TPE:

  • Usable in dry environment from -40°C to +100°C
  • Available hardness range from 40 – 80 Shore A
  • Suitable for contact with food (usually FDA-compliant), also for medical purposes
  • Resistant to ozone and weathering
  • Resistant to common fuels and oils (with low volume swelling)
  • Low tensile and compression set

Additionally, we also offer technical components made of PA6 (with glass fiber), POM, ABS, PP, PE, PVC (soft, hard) etc. We also happily assist you in realising technical elements made of two components (2K), primarily combining TPE with another thermoplastic material.

Polyurethan (Duromers)

Polyurethane (PUR) is a material with excellent abrasion properties. It can be optimally used for various types of coatings, whether you have large or small, angled surfaces. The temperature range of -40°C to +70/80°C (short-term up to 110°C) allows for a wide range of applications.

This also includes mouldings (buffers). In a high hardness range, PUR mouldings are reversibly deformable within certain limits and exhibit elastic behaviour. This is ideal not only for highly demanding damping requirements but also for applications with high wear demands, such as clearing strips.

^