27 Oct 2017
Friedrichshafen, Germany — ExxonMobil Chemical Co. will launch two new grades of Santoprene-brand thermoplastic vulcanizates by the end of the year.
The new grades are aimed at corner mold segments in glass-run channels for automotive weather seals. The materials now are being sampled by customers, market developer Hermann-Josef Holz said at Fakuma 2017.
The new Santoprene grades have good shape and friction performance and display good bonding with EPDM, he added.
Flexible sealing systems continue to draw interest from customers because of their lightweighting possibilities, according to Holz.
As previously announced, Houston-based ExxonMobil is expanding capacity for Santoprene and other speciality elastomers by 25% at its UK plant in Newport, Wales.
That expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.
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