TPE and silica gel are both good elastic materials, but they have different characteristics and uses. So it's hard to say which is better, depending on the usage scenarios and requirements.
TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer) is a kind of plastic material with high elasticity, durability and environmental protection. It can be formed by heat treatment and has different hardness and softness at different temperatures. TPE materials are usually used to make various household goods, toys, auto parts and so on.
In contrast, silica gel has better high temperature resistance, low temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance and waterproof performance. Silica gel materials can also be processed by heating, but usually require special molds and production equipment. Silica gel is usually used to make kitchen utensils, medical devices, electronic product shells and so on.
Processing characteristics of thermoplastic elastomer and silica gel
Processing characteristics of 1 and TPE
Standard thermoplastic processing equipment and technology can be used for processing and molding, such as extrusion, injection and blow molding. Rubber products can be prepared and produced without vulcanization, which reduces vulcanization procedures, saves investment, has low energy consumption, simple process, shortens processing cycle, improves production efficiency and has low processing cost. The corner waste can be recycled, which not only saves resources, but also contributes to environmental protection.
2. Processing characteristics of silica gel
Among the solid-state molding processes, the molding process of silica gel products manufacturers is the most extensive at present, and its core problem lies in the parting line of the upper and lower molds. For products with strict appearance requirements, the size of parting line determines the grade of the product. Therefore, for molds, the biggest problem in the molding process of many silicone products lies in the parting line, and the main solutions lie in the source of production, the manufacture of molds and the quality control of the production personnel of silicone processing manufacturers.