Is TPU plastic or rubber? What is the difference between TPU and rubber?

TPU: Thermoplastic elastomer is a general term for TPU and belongs to an environmentally friendly non-toxic polymer material. The TPU material combines the high elasticity of rubber with the processing properties of plastics. It does not require vulcanization and can be processed by a general thermoplastic molding machine. Simply put, the thermoplastic elastomer TPU is thermoformed, using an injection molding machine, an extruder, The blow molding machine can produce waste and scraps can be recycled 100%. It is the preferred raw material for PVC, rubber and silica gel. It is occupied by the rubber and plastics industry.

Rubber: Rubber is an organic polymer with a molecular weight of several hundred thousand. It needs to be vulcanized to maintain high elasticity within the temperature range (-50~150 °C). Low modulus of elasticity, 3 orders of magnitude lower than ordinary materials, large deformation, maximum elongation of 1000% (general material is less than 1%), exothermic during stretching, and elasticity increases with increasing temperature.

What is the difference between TPU and rubber?

1. The thermoplastic elastomer TPU is a linear structure, physically crosslinked by hydrogen bonding, and the hydrogen bond is broken at a high temperature, and is plastic. Rubber is chemically crosslinked and does not have thermoplastic properties;

2, the rubber is soft, the hardness range of TPU material (0-100A) is very wide, between rubber and plastic;

3, different processing methods, rubber through rubber processing, and TPU is generally through extrusion molding;

4, the performance is different, the rubber usually needs to add various additives, need to be reinforced, and the thermoplastic elastomer TPU performance is very good;

5, the concept of elastomers is broader, TPU is also known as thermoplastic rubber (tpr), rubber is usually referred to as thermoset rubber.