It's in the blend
Thanks to its variable VA content and its molecular structure, Levapren® is an extremely versatile material. What is more, this rubber from LANXESS can help produce significantly improved characteristics in other polymers.
When used in blends with thermoplastic polyurethanes, a Levapren® content of only a few percent can provide a pleasant rubber-like grip and an attractive matt surface. Other examples include blends of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and nitrile rubber (NBR), which have long been used in a wide range of industries but have come under scrutiny due to their high chlorine content. Here, Levapren® can replace the PVC content. Blends of NBR and Levapren® are halogen-free, offer the same material characteristics as "conventional" products and can be compounded without a gelling step.
A new application area are blends with polyolefines: highly filled mixtures obtain their stiffness from the thermoplastic and the required flexibility from Levapren®. At the same time this is also the key raw material to reach a good flame retardance which results from the possible high level of fillers that can be added to EVM. Those blends can be processed as thermoplastics - e.g., extrusion - and serve well the fast growing market of halogen-free, low smoke cables, which can used in home appliances, computers, etc.
A similar concept is applied in the application area of foams that are employed in the fields of sporting goods, shoes and packaging: Levapren® generates the necessary softness, the rubber-like touch and makes the material better for adhesion. Thus, the use of primers in polyurethane-based adhesion systems can be reduced.
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