Purpose & Overview:
This is an introductory seminar intended to provide an overview of the different materials that make up this class of thermoplastics and to relate their chemistry, structure and morphology to properties, processing and applications. The overall market to TPE's will be discussed in terms of the three major categories - styrenic block copolymers (SBC's), olefinic TPO's and TPV's, and engineering ETPE's (TPU's COPE's and COPA's). Applications will be described for each category as well as products and producers. Some recent developments including the use of Metallocene catalyzed polymers will also be discussed.

Who should attend?
This seminar is intended to provide an introduction to thermoplastic elastomer materials, structure, processing, properties, and applications and should be useful to product development and design engineers, application and technical service engineers, process engineers, technical sales and marketing, material specifiers, manufacturing and end users seeking a good working knowledge and understanding TPE's.

About the Instructor: Vivian Malpass
Vivian Malpass has over 40 years in the plastics industry. He was Vice President and General Manager of Plasticolors, Inc., where he managed the custom compounding of color-controlled TPE's including SBC's, TPO's, TPV's and other specialty thermoplastic elastomers and thermoplastic compounds. Earlier, he directed technology and product development at Furon Macromeric Division and Ferro Corporate Research. This included olefinic and fluoroelastomer compounds, flame retardant compounds and specialty TPO developments. He was also the General Manager of Ferro's Engineering Thermoplastic Products Division which included mineral and glass reinforced and toughened Nylons, polyesters, polycarbonates, and high temperature resins. Previously, he was with Rohm and Haas and Borg-Warner Chemicals in various technical management capacities. Other areas of expertise include rubber toughening of thermoplastics, alloying and compatibilization of polymers, melt rheology, and structure-to-property relationships. He was president of the Society of Plastics Engineers in 1989-1990 and has published over 35 technical papers and chaired a number of technical conferences.

Seminar Content:
General Background • Definition • Materials and markets • Comparison with elastomers and thermoplastics • Structure-property relationships • Price-property relationships • Processing
Markets • Market size and growth • Factors affecting growth • Market segments
Styrene Block Copolymers (SBS, SIS, SEBS) • Description • Chemistry • Structure and morphology • Properties • Synthesis/compounding • Applications • Products and producers
Olefinic Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPO, TPV) • Description • Chemistry • Structure and morphology • Properties • Synthesis/compounding • Applications • Products and producers
Engineering Thermoplastic Elastomers (ETPE) • Thermoplastic Urethanes (TPU): chemistry/synthesis, structure/morphology, properties and applications, products and producers
Thermoplastic Copolyesters (COPE) • Chemistry/synthesis • Structure/morphology • Properties and applications • Products and producers
Thermoplastic Copolyamides (COPA) • Chemistry/synthesis • Structure/morphology • Properties and applications • Products and producers
Other TPE's • PVC/Nitrile • PVC/Ethylene rubber • CPE based • Ionomer based • Fluoroelastomer based
Recent Developments • SBC • TPO • TPV • Metallocene catalyzed polymers • Other