Global chemical manufacturer Huntsman Corporation has developed a new product expected to help footwear makers improve productivity and speed to market.
The company said that Avalon AB DI, its new line of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) materials, shortens production time for parts made by injection molding because it has a quick cycle time. Huntsman also said footwear manufacturers will benefit from Avalon’s versatility. The material can just as easily be used to create microscopic mechanical parts as it can large, bulky components like thick-walled parts.
“Our Avalon TPU products range from 60 Shore A to 60 Shore D hardness. With such a comprehensive span of resistance options available, we’re confident that we have a grade of Avalon TPU available to suit every general purpose technical parts project,” Huntsman’s website notes.
According to Huntsman, tests done on the new TPU also showed a reduction in cooling time, and hardness demolded in half the time of traditional TPU.
Huntsman developed Avalon AB DI following discussions with a major footwear component supplier, which was looking to increase productivity when molding footwear soles like soccer plates. Avalon AB DI allowed the customer to see an increase in the production capacity of the injection molding machines while the properties of the TPU stayed intact.
“Where injection molding companies are looking to increase capacity and productivity, our range of Avalon AB DI TPU offers an attractive alternative to our existing range of Avalon footwear TPUs,” Craig Roberts, global footwear marketing manager at Huntsman, said. “The range is also aligned with the current trends for simplification and automation in the footwear industry.”