Is TPU plastic?

TPU is plastic.

The full name of TPU is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, which is a kind of thermoplastic plastic. Thermoplastic plastic material can be melted by high temperature and shaped into any subject again and again. TPU has high elasticity comparable to rubber. Generally, the hardness of TPU material is harder than that of rubber, and it is more elastic when pinched by hand. From the appearance point of view, TPU can be a transparent material, but rubber generally cannot. No matter how transparent the rubber is, it will be hazy and cannot achieve pure transparency like TPU.

Generally, products made of TPU are made through the injection molding process. The simple explanation is that during processing, after the individual TPU plastic granules are heated and melted, they are then shot into the plastic mold with a gun barrel to make a complete product.

Here we list some basic characteristics of TPU material.

1. Oil resistance: TPU has better oil resistance than nitrile rubber. When being put into oil, TPU can still own long service life.

2. Wear resistance: Taber wear value of TPU is 0.5-0.35mg, which is the smallest among plastics. Adding MoS2, silicone oil or graphite can reduce the friction coefficient and improve the wear resistance of TPU.

3. Low temperature resistance, weather resistance, and ozone resistance: The weather aging resistance of TPU is better than natural rubber and other synthetic rubbers. Because of Its ozone resistance and radiation resistance, TPU is used in the aerospace industry.

4. Tensile strength and elongation: The tensile strength of TPU is 2-3 times that of natural rubber and synthetic rubber. The tensile strength of polyester TPU is nearly 60MPa, and the elongation rate is nearly 410%. The tensile strength of polyether TPU is 50MPa while the elongation is >30%.

TPU is a kind of eco-friendly plastic material. It is widely used in various fields such as garment accessories, mask, automobile, luggage, etc. We can even see many products made of TPU in our daily life. Of course, sometimes we may don’t realize that is made of TPU when taking a subject. Anyway, TPU is more and more important to modern industry.