TPE or silicone ? The editor of Lien TPE manufacturer said directly at the beginning that both materials are good. First of all, from the current environmental awareness, both are environmentally friendly materials. Moreover, they are very widely used and have brought a lot of convenience to our life industry. It can be said that it has changed our lives. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of both.
TPE\TPR material we all call thermoplastic elastomer rubber, and blend it with SEBS or SBS as the substrate.
Silica gel material is a highly active adsorption material, which is an amorphous substance, and its chemical formula is mSiO2·nH2O.
After reading the above two materials, don’t think that TPE and silicone are the same material in the future. The two do have similarities in many aspects, such as feel, elasticity, rebound, and application fields. It cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. Today I will teach you a simple method of identifying and burning.
Use combustion method to distinguish TPR from silicone
TPE combustion flame body is yellow and the bottom of the flame is blue. This is not absolute, it also needs to be viewed according to the formula. Some formulas are designed with a light yellow flame at the bottom. The TPR smoke of SBS substrate is darker, and the TPE smoke of SEBS substrate is lighter.
Silicone combustion flame theme is bright white, with a relatively simple odor and smoke, but the residue after it burns is obvious white ash. This is the basic method of identification, and it is clear at a glance as soon as you burn it.
We can also distinguish it from the production process. TPE does not require vulcanization and can be directly injection molded, extruded, blow molded. The water nozzle material generated during the molding process can be reused. Silicone must be vulcanized, and the water outlet material cannot be recycled, so the cost of silicone will be much higher than that of TPE materials. The finished products of both have good elasticity and resilience. Which one is better,
TPE or silicone, depends on their respective advantages and disadvantages. Tian Ji's horse racing, in the toy field, TPE material is definitely better, but in the field of high temperature resistance, silicone must be used. The high temperature resistance of TPE materials is only about 90 degrees, and silicone can reach about 250 degrees. Currently, both are in the field of sex toys and daily necessities, and the outcome is hard to tell.
