At present, there are mainly rubber and latex materials for elastic bands on the market. Among them, the elastic band made of rubber can be divided into TPU elastic band and TPE elastic band. TPU elastic belt with transparent frosted, light and soft, good resilience, good toughness, not easy to break, suitable for knitted clothing collar cuff binding, shoulder seam side seam qualitative. TPE elastic band has various colors, comfortable touch, high stretch rate and excellent recovery, suitable for use on fitness equipment. Which one is better, latex elastic band or TPE elastic band, and how to choose?
1. Characteristics of TPE elastic band
TPE material has good resilience and tensile strength, and feels comfortable, delicate and smooth. It is directly extruded through the extruder, and the processing is simple and convenient. TPE oil resistance is relatively poor. TPE burns with a faint aroma, and the smoke is relatively small and light.
TPE material is a blended modified material with many adjustability in physical properties, and its specific gravity is between 0.89 and 1.3. The hardness is usually between Shore 28A~35A. Too high or too low hardness will affect the performance of the elastic band.
The TPE elastic band material is mainly made of SEBS. SEBS is also an environmentally friendly material and meets the REACH standard, so it will not cause allergic reactions to special groups. The elastic band made of TPE has a smooth surface and no foreign particles. The elasticity still maintains excellent elasticity under low temperature environment, and it will not become hard and brittle. It has excellent weather resistance and can be used in an environment of 40~90 degrees Celsius. There will be no cracking in outdoor use within this temperature range.
The main material SEBS used in TPE contains a large amount of butadiene, which has the characteristics of high stretching ratio and small deformation. We tested that the stretched 3 times for more than 30,000 times will cause a little deformation, but not more than 5%.
2. Characteristics of latex elastic band
Latex has good wear resistance, heat resistance, high elasticity, breaking strength and elongation more than 7 times. It is easy to age in the air and turns white when sprayed. Due to the presence of heterotypic protein molecules in natural latex, it may cause allergic reactions in certain populations.
Natural latex is cut from the rubber tree. It is a kind of natural rubber. It is liquid, milky white and odorless. Fresh natural latex contains 27%~41.3% rubber, 44%~77% water, 0.2%~4.5% protein, 2%~5% natural resin, 0.36%~4.2% sugar, and 0.4% ash. In order to prevent the natural latex from coagulating due to the action of microorganisms and enzymes, ammonia and other chemical stabilizers are often added.
Latex elastic bands and TPE elastic bands have their own advantages and disadvantages. In terms of cost, TPE is relatively low. Please choose according to your actual needs.
