Peugeot 1007 uses window seals made of styrenic TPE
By Liz White, ERJ staff
In what is claimed to be a first for a French car maker, a styrenic TPE is being used by PSA Peugeot Citröen for the doors of its Sésame model-as window belt lines and glass-run channels. The Sésame, or 1007-a replacement for the car maker's small model, the Peugeot 106-has the novel feature of sliding doors, opened by remote control, hence the Sésame tag.
CTS, which makes the TPE used for the window seals, Tefabloc, claims its use gives numerous advantages, combining aesthetic properties and technical performance, and offering both ecological and economical benefits. Tefabloc is a TPE-S, made using Kraton's styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) material and a PP-based compound.
A major advantage is the TPE-S's excellent light-resistance, which means Tefabloc “does not take on a bluish tint,†according to CTS. Such bluing is an often-criticised defect, detracting from a car's overall appearance, the polymer compounder said. “Furthermore, the seals are all identical in appearance, as the same grade is used for the corner mouldings and the extruded weather-stripping,†said CTS, a unit of Belgian compounder and chemicals supplier Tessenderlo Group.
The compounder also claims that its material allows stylists and designers to offer colourful seals in glossy or matt finishes, with undiminished performance.
CTS explained that the seal geometry was redesigned from the elastomer seal previously used, in order to fulfil the weatherstripping function. “A fundamental difference†between elastomers seals, which work under compression, and Tefabloc, with its “remarkable elastic memory,†made the redesign essential. allow deflection, the supplier said.
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