
21 Apr 2006
ARNITEL® EL250, SOFTEST COPE/TPE-E, GAINS GROUND IN OVERMOULDING APPLICATIONS FROM SOFT GRIPS TO HIGH-TOUCH CAR INTERIORS
Arnitel® EL250 thermoplastic polyether elastomer (TPE-E or copolyester ether elastomer, COPE), at 25 Shore D the softest available thermoplastic elastomer, has revealed itself as an important new material for applications requiring soft touch, pleasant hand feel or non-slip overmoulding. Arnitel EL250 uniquely combines both COPE performance with a softness that matches ultra-soft, but performance-challenged materials
“Designers, product developers and processors are continuously challenged to distinguish their products from the competition,” said Niels Hegge, newly Appointed Application Development Technical Support Manager for Arnitel, including the EL250 grade. “One new way companies can meet these challenges is to integrate such new features as soft touch into their appliance and other consumer goods designs.”
Until market release of Arnitel EL250, designers and overmoulders had to choose between grades of higher performance but less soft thermoplastic elastomers like COPE, or grades of lower performance but soft materials. Unfortunately, choosing harder COPE could lead to a less than optimum touch. Equally unfortunately, choosing softer materials could lead to removal by abrasion or by peel, delamination or failure of bonds to substrates. By combining key attributes, Arnitel EL250 offers unprecedented design freedom to engineers and designers.
Applications where Arnitel EL250 is finding use include automotive interiors, particularly in overmoulded interior trim panels and arm rests; kitchen, garden and hand tools; mobile phones; consumer electronics; and even pencil grips and personal care products.
Arnitel EL250 bonds well to such polar materials as polycarbonate (PC), PC/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS), ABS, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and more. It thus offers excellent adhesion in 2K (two-component) overmoulding processes.
Arnitel EL250 exhibits good ultraviolet (UV) and heat resistance, excellent chemical resistance, and excellent creep resistance and resilience. It is compliant with FDA and EC regulations for food contact, and may be suitable for medical components. Its pure white base colour permits good colour matching and aesthetics.
Processing advantages include a low melt viscosity for a best-in-class flow. This is crucial in overmoulding applications, where rapid, complete filling must often occur along extended flow paths and thin wall sections. Other processing positives include fast crystallisation for rapid cycle times, good mould release and a relatively low melting point
Arnitel EL250 can additionally be custom-compounded with other materials to combine mechanical or look-and-feel characteristics. This especially includes TPE-S or SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene based thermoplastic elastomer), which when combined with Arnitel EL250 results in an even softer touch than the neat EL250 grade. Arnitel EL250 can also be used as an adhesion enhancing agent for SEBS.
“With EL250, DSM has continued its close relationship with customers in design and development support,” Tan Yam-Boon, Business Development Manager of DSM Asia-Pacific, said. “A recent test generated a tremendous amount of information about how people perceive soft-touch surfaces. As expected, Shore hardness was critical, but additives, product geometry and surface texture emerged as important as well.”
Reader enquiries
DSM Engineering Materials
30 Pasir Panjang Road #13-31
Mapletree Business City
Singapore 117440
Singapore
Notes for editors
DSM Engineering Plastics
DSM Engineering Plastics is a business group forming part of DSM's Performance Materials cluster. DSM Engineering Plastics is a global supplier of Stanyl® PA46 and Akulon® 6 and 66 polyamides, Arnitel® TPE-E, Arnite® PBT and PET polyesters, Xantar® polycarbonate, Yparex® extrudable adhesive resins, and Stamylan® UH Ultra High Molecular Weight PE. These materials are used in technical components for electrical appliances, electronic equipment and cars, in barrier packaging films as well as in many mechanical and extrusion applications. The business group had annual sales of EUR 705 million in 2005. With Stanyl®, it is the global market leader in high heat polyamides.
Akulon®, Arnite®, Arnitel®, Stanyl®, Stamylan® UH, Xantar® and Yparex® are registered trademarks of DSM Engineering Plastics.
Related images

Arnitel® EL250 is well suited for soft touch components in consumer electronics, mobile telephones, domestic appliances, kitchen tools, pencil grips, personal care, automotive interior applications and the like.
Editorial enquiries
Thea Trilsbeek
DSM Engineering Materials
Anouk Luykx
EMG