Teknor Apex has announced it has developed new products in its Flexalloy family of vinyl elastomers that provide a low-gloss finish while retaining the performance advantages of Flexalloy compounds over standard thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and conventional flexible vinyl.

It also said that since Flexalloy compounds were thermoplastic, scrap could be reprocessed—unlike thermoset rubber scrap. 
While gloss is a plus in many applications, some moulded and extruded products call for the softer look and feel of rubber.  And since products with glossy surfaces tend to cling to one another, or “block,” a matte finish can actually increase productivity.  The new products Teknor Apex has formulated provide that finish. “The new compounds, the Flexalloy 9750 Series, have processing and physical properties comparable to those of the general-purpose Flexalloy 9100 Series but yield a low-gloss surface that may be aesthetically desirable, as in certain consumer products and furniture trim,” says Philip R. Morin, industry manager for consumer and industrial products.
“Their anti-blocking properties ease handling of films such as bin liners, flexible ‘accordion’ hose like that on vacuum cleaners, and mating parts such as weather-stripping for windows and doors.”
In such uses, he points out, Flexalloy compounds often provide better performance than standard TPEs. “Besides exhibiting the look, feel, and elasticity of more widely known polyolefin and styrenic TPEs, Flexalloy products surpass them in tear and tensile strength and resistance to flexural fatigue,” Morin says.  “Equally important, they retain the traditional advantages of vinyl over TPEs, including much better resistance to oils and fats and wider formulation versatility”
The enhanced performance of Flexalloy compounds also opens possibilities in applications where standard flexible vinyl has not been used.  “Flexalloy products are not just flexible but truly elastic,” Morin says. “When compared with flexible vinyl compounds of the same hardness levels, they exhibit superior compression set, low-temperature flexibility, tear strength, and abrasion resistance.”
New Flexalloy 9750 compounds are available in Shore A hardness ranging from 35 to 80.
Flexalloy compounds are based on proprietary formulation and compounding technology developed by Teknor Apex and have no counterparts among competing raw material producers.  They are based on ultra-high molecular weight PVC resin, which differs considerably from the PVC used for compounding the vast bulk of vinyl formulations.