Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a kind of high polymer material with excellent performance and has a wide range of applications. The following are some of the key use cases and areas of TPU:
1. High-end manufacturing: The TPU units in BASF Zhanjiang Integrated Base are mainly used for the production of Elastollan ® series TPU products, which meet the demand of the Asia-Pacific region for TPUs in related fields such as electric vehicles and new energy.
2. Environmentally friendly shoe material: Adidas launched the Futurecraft. LOOP running shoes, the entire vamp, midsole, outsole, shoelaces are made of recycled TPU materials, reflecting the TPU recyclability.
3. Bio-based TPU Products: Wanhua Chemical has developed a full range of bio-based TPUs in polyester and polyether systems, which can maintain the properties of materials while realizing low carbon environmental protection.
4. Automotive industry: TPU is an innovative system solution for automotive interior handles, shift lever knobs, exterior trim components, instrument panel and door panel skins, as well as automotive cables.
5. Cable market: With the rapid development of new energy market, TPU materials are widely used in photovoltaic cables, electric vehicle charging cables and industrial robot cables.
6. Foamed TPU (E-TPU): In the shoe material as the midsole material, has good elasticity and softness, such as Adidas EnergyBoost running shoes.
7. Automotive Paint Protective Film: TPU is used for preparing intermediate polymer film of paint surface protection film, which has high transparency, scratch resistance, high temperature resistance and other properties.
8. TPU recycling: TPUs can be recycled. For example, Oistre from Novoloop is a TPU made from post-consumer waste.
9. Waterproof film: TPU waterproof film is widely used in the fields of clothing, medical, building and electronic products because of its high strength, high elasticity, good waterproof, oilproof, anti-pollution and anti-bacterial properties.
10. Lightweight materials: In the automotive sector, TPUs are used in the manufacture of body components due to their lightweight characteristics, which help to improve fuel efficiency and reduce exhaust emissions.
11. Airbag: TPU materials are also used in the manufacture of automotive airbags due to their strength and low temperature flexibility.
12. Halogen-free flame retardant TPU: In applications requiring high flame retardancy, such as charging piles, TPUs can be improved by adding halogen-free flame retardants or using materials containing phosphorus and nitrogen.
These use cases demonstrate the diversity of TPU materials and their importance in modern industry. With the development and innovation of technology, the application of TPU is expected to expand further.