Multiflex® A 1004 65A 520 FXT 16780

• Soft touch
• Aesthetics
• Black
• Compatibility: ABS, ABS/PC, ASA, PMMA

Multiflex® brand series TEA/A1004 are alloys based on SEBS designed for overmolding on technical polymers like PC/ABS/ASA/SAN.

Background

Multiflex® TEA/A1004 alloys are sensitive to temperature above 220°C. To avoid any retention zone, mold must be correctly dimensioned and geometry must be optimized.

Pre-drying

To obtain maximal product efficiency, humidity in raw material must be below 0.1% before injection. This level is obtained by an efficient pre-drying under hot air venting, between 90 to 100°C, during 4 to 6 hours. Ideally, a mechanical mixing during pre-drying speeds up humidity extraction. Timing between pre-drying and injection must be limited, and ideally material must be protected from ambient air.

Machinery cleaning

High flow thermoplastic must be used, PEHD, PELD or PP.

Coloring

Multiflex® TEA/A1004 alloys are easily colorable by using color masterbatch based on PE or ethylene copolymers (EVA).

Recycling

Due to the fact that Multiflex® TEA/A1004 alloys are thermal sensitive, recycling can reduce product properties. We recommend a maximal level of 5% of recycling material in virgin material.

Injection

Multiflex® series TEA/A1004 alloys are viscous material and high pressure is needed to inject them. Whole tooling, meaning screw, mold, and runner must be well designed to limit material stagnation at high temperature. Total material volume in the tool must be limited to 3 - 5 molding volumes.

Processing parameters

Screw: Geometry: standard injection machine, L/D > 20, compression rate 2:1 to 3:1 (if higher, risk of thermal degradation). Ideally, screw volume must be limited to 3 - 5 mold volume, to limit material stagnation under heat. A screw speed upper 150 rpm, combined with a high counter-pressure ensures thorough melting of the material without excessive temperature generation.

Back pressure

Must be higher than 10 bars. This will ensure a uniform melt without severe shear heating.

Temperatures (°C)

See Figure 1.

Feed Zone: 170 +/- 10
Zone 1: 180 +/- 10
Zone 2: 190 +/- 10
Nozzle: 200 +/- 10

Figure 1: Injection molding processing temperatures

Injection speed

Injection speed and fill time are highly dependent on part geometry,
complexity and gate design. Faster speeds typically result in easier mold filling but limits adhesion, while lower speeds result in better surface appearance but needs high injection pressure. Start with an injection speed around 60% of maximum speed.

Holding pressure

Start with a pressure equivalent to 30% of maximum injection pressure. Excessive holding pressure can result in distortion in the area of the gate due
to elastomeric characteristics of the material.

Holding time

Three seconds can be used to start to ensure sufficient time for gate freeze off. Holding time can be slowly reduced until changes in part appearance or weight occur.

Mold

Use conventional mold design (venting, finish, draft) with temperatures from 10 to 60°C. In the range of 20 - 30°C typically gives good results.

Hot Runners

Limit hot runner temperature below 190°C to enhance material
degradation. Furthermore, if hot runner volume is too high (volume upper than 2 volume shot), limit hot runner temperature below 180 - 185°C.

Extrusion

Multiflex® TEA /A1004 alloys can be processed on all extrusion machines
for PVC, polyolefin. A screw, with a compression ratio of 3 is recommended.

Temperatures (°C)

See Figure 2

Feed Zone: 160 +/- 10
Zone 1: 170 +/- 10
Zone 2: 180 +/- 10
Die: 190 +/- 10

Figure 2: Extrusion processing temperatures

This product is neither tested nor represented as suitable for medical or pharmaceutical uses.

This product is available in a variety of container sizes.

Containers should be kept tightly closed and kept in cold storage at all times to extend
shelf life. Shelf life is indicated by the "Use Before" date found on the product label.