insert molding because no handling of the substrate is required. Blow molding: Santoprene TPV can be blow molded in a single layer, multi-layer, exchange blow, sequential 3D, suction blow, flashless extrusion blow, injection blow, and press-blow molding processes. Extrusion: Santoprene TPV is easy to extrude into single and complex profiles. These materials can also be coextruded to yield a part with both rigid and soft components. Thermoforming: The thermoforming properties of Santoprene TPV are similar to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and exhibit good melt strength, which provides uniform and predictable sag characteristics during heating. When producing a sheet for thermoformed parts, key attributes of Santoprene TPV are maintained, including colorability, impact resistance, weatherability, chemical resistance, non-skid, and matte surface in appearance and feel. Recycling Santoprene TPV can contribute to a reduction in overall waste in the manufacturing process as scrap produced during processing can be recycled. Material that has been recycled – even from old parts – exhibits properties almost as good as virgin material as an article in “Design News” magazine reported on May 5, 2003. According to the article: The results of tests on protective boots for an automotive rack and pinion gears showed that older TPV has slightly lower physical and mechanical properties than new material. Yet some of the key indicators of the material's ability to hold up in this dynamic application did not change significantly. For example, the new and old TPVs had nearly the same properties after air and oil aging. The compression set also remained virtually identical. The results of tests that measured the color shift (Delta E) between the exterior and interior surfaces of old and new automotive secondary roof profiles showed that the TPV material experienced insignificant color changes. Other tests, which looked at whether the surfaces of the profiles bore the marks of radiation-induced degradation, showed the material surface appears homogeneous. In tests that compared old and new automotive glass run channel profiles, there was no significant difference in the tensile stress-strain properties—a key indicator of sealing performance. References External links Santoprene Chemical Resistance at VP-scientific.com ExxonMobil Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanization (TPV) AMCO Polymers, North American Distributor for Santoprene TPV Materials Polymers