DIAPER CHAMP KEEPS THE EARTH—AND LIVING SPACES—MORE HABITABLE WITH DIAPER CHAMP'S SEAL OF ARNITEL® ELASTOMER FROM DSM ENGINEERING PLASTICS

A recently re-designed Diaper Champ, an innovative, odourless diaper pail from Garland BV (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), uses Arnitel® copolyester thermoplastic elastomer seals from DSM Engineering Plastics. In conjunction with a reverse piston action during disposal, the seals prevent the spread of odours from the Diaper Champ to living areas around the container. Arnitel provides durable flexibility combined with low friction and high abrasion resistance to help ensure positive sealing throughout the life of Diaper Champ. Available globally, Diaper Champ is an important component of the growing trend in recycling the valuable materials in infant and adult hygiene diapers.

Diaper Champ's design enables easy one-handed operation, and the low friction seals of Arnitel contribute to this ease of use. The unique seals provide both easy movement of the unit's rotating head as well as positive sealing. In addition Arnitel resists chemicals and is easily moulded and coloured.

The seal design itself was the product of a four-way collaboration between Garland, Zilver Product Design, DSM Engineering Plastics, plus USA and China-based K-Tops, the product's moulder.

"The cross-regional technical support from DSM Engineering Plastics was critical to the project," said Jos Dommerholt, Managing Director, Garland BV. "We depended on them to formulate the right levels of flexibility, effective sealing and longevity for the application, and to optimise production parameters in China."

Diaper Champ's simplicity of design allows users to save money compared to competitive products, which require proprietary storage cartridges or cassettes. The used diapers can be disposed of easily to diaper recycling plants, typically at no charge. (A third Netherlands-based company, Knowaste BV, Arnhem, has pioneered diaper collection and recycling in the European Union, U.S., Canada, Japan and Australia).

The Diaper Champ helps reduce an ever-growing diaper waste problem. Because diapers are made of high-quality paper and plastic materials, efforts are growing among environmentalists to recycle them. An average baby goes through more than an estimated ton of diapers prior to toilet training; and, as the world's population ages, adult diapering has grown apace as well. Relegating huge quantities of material to landfills makes far less economic and environmental sense than recycling.

The Diaper Champ has been the recipient of multiple awards and nominations for innovative product design, the most recent a nomination for most innovative baby care product at Kind&Jugend fair Sept 2005 in Köln (Cologne), Germany.

In addition to seals, the family of Arnitel thermoplastic elastomers has a broad range of applications, including automotive air ducts, constant-velocity (CV) joint boots, airbag covers and other automotive interior components, radio antennas, and fuel and vacuum hosing; building roofing membranes; surgical disposables; wire and cable insulation; hydraulic hoses; household goods; and light rail insulation and sound-deadening.

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