What is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)? - TPU is a highly versatile elastomer with unique properties that provide superior performance and machining flexibility. TPU is an ideal polymer for a wide variety of markets, including footwear, wire and cable, film and sheet, composites, adhesives and specialty molding parts. TPU has been delivering benefits to designers, manufacturers and end users for more than 60 years.

TPU is a unique plastic that Bridges the gap between rubber and plastic. The key to TPU's versatility is its hardness that can be highly customized. TPU can be as soft as rubber or as hard as rigid plastic. The look and feel of the TPU is versatile. It can be transparent or colorful, smooth to the touch and easy to hold.

TPU chemical

TPU is a block copolymer consisting of alternating sequences of hard and soft segments. Its adaptability is due to its chemical structure having both hard and soft segments. The ratio of hard and soft segments can be manipulated to produce a wide range of hardness. The higher the ratio of hard segment to soft segment, the higher the hardness of TPU.

Hard segments are isocyanates, which can be classified as aliphatic or aromatic according to the type of isocyanate. The soft part is made from the polyol of the reaction. In addition to the ratio of hard and soft segments in a given grade of TPU, the types of isocyanates and polyols also determine the performance of the final TPU.

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a subclass of thermoplastic elastomers. Typically, these materials are block copolymers of polyethers or polyesters with classical polyurethanes.