PFX1016

SO.F.TER. SPA
Headquarters
Via Mastro Giorgio 1
47122 Forlì, Italy
tel +39 0543 790411
fax +39 0543 473119
[email protected]

SO.F.TER. DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

Weidacher Straße 26
70794 Filderstadt, Germany
tel +49 711 327000-0
fax +49 711 327000-10
[email protected]

THERMOPLASTIC COPOLYESTER ELASTOMER

SO.F.TER. USA
400 Innovative Way
Lebanon, TN 37090, US
tel +1 844 657 6383 (THINKSOFTER)

pibiflex
[email protected]

SO.F.TER. BRASIL ®
COMPOSTOS TERMOPLÁSTICOS LTDA
Av. Edgar Hoffmeister, 275
CEP 93700-000
Campo Bom, RS, Brazil
tel +55 51 2123 2610
fax +55 51 2123 2622
[email protected]

SOCIEDAD FORLIVESA
TERMOPLASTICOS S.A. DE C.V.
Circuito Mexiamora Norte N° 345
Puerto Interior, Silao, G.to
Mexico 36275
tel +52 472 722 6923
fax +52 472 103 4724
[email protected]

www.softergroup.com
 Pibiflex® Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer (TPC)

Chemical structure
Pibiflex® is a thermoplastic copolyester based elastomer provide elasticity and rubber-like properties, while the hard
with a partially crystalline sequential structure formed segments provide the processing ease and the strength
by rigid crystalline PBT segments and soft amorphous typical of engineering plastics. The ratio between hard and soft
polyether/polyester long-chain segments. The soft segments segments determines the properties of the various grades.

O O O O
|| || || ||
O (CH2)4 O C C O(CH2CH2CH2CH2 O)X C C
a b

Hard Segment Soft Segment

(Polybuthylene Terephtalate) (Polytetramethylene Ether Glycol Terephtalate)

Pibiflex® hardness range

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Shore A

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Shore D

50 20 80 40 110 60140 80ì 170

TPE - StyrenicsShore A Rockwell R

Natural rubbers

Thermoplastic Vulcanizates

Polyuretanes

Pibiflex®

Plastics

Cover image: courtesy ENNEREV MATERASSI SPA 1

 Pibiflex® Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer (TPC)

Range Adhesion-2K moulding Elastic properties Compression Set astM d395-b type1
SO.F.TER. offers a complete portfolio ranging Pibiflex® features very good adhesion properties Pibiflex® features excellent mechanical 70%
from soft to hard solutions. to many polymeric materials including ABS, PBT, properties, such as tensile strength 61%
58%
PC, PC/PBT, PC/ABS, EVA, TPU, SEBS (special grades) and tear strength, exceptional toughness 60%
52%
• Injection moulding grades offering easy processability and to many paints, glues and metals. and resilience, high creep and flexural
50%
also for the rigid grades fatigue resistance.
• Extrusion and blow moulding grades providing Approvals 40% 38%

excellent melt strength Various Pibiflex® grades have been approved Temperature resistance
30% 26% 28%
• Dolphin grades for the production for automotive applications by the most important Pibiflex® has an excellent temperature behaviour:
of soft-touch interior trims in a single phase automotive manufacturers and Tier 1. • maintains flexibility at low temperatures 20%
(see Dolphin technology page 8) (low temperature limit - 45 °C)
Food contact grades • retains properties at high temperatures 10%
Summary of properties Pibiflex® grades 2560 and 3560 comply with (high temperature limit 150 °C, continuous use)
0%
• ­Hardness from 25 up to 70 Shore D the requirements of the FDA-CFR 21-parts 170 to 199 Pibiflex® 2560 (ShD25) Pibiflex® 3560 (ShD35) Pibiflex® 4482 (ShD44)

• ­ Flexural Modulus from 30 up to 600 MPa item 177.2600, paragraph a) b) c) d) e) f) 22 h @ 70°C 72 h @ 23°C

• Tensile Strength from 15 up to 40 MPa for use in contact with dry foods, aqueous foods
• Elongation at break from 300 up to 850 % and fatty foods. Such grades can be used
• Vicat 1Kg/120 °C from 80 up to over 200 °C in food packaging and in alcohol, fruit juices Weathering resistance UV resistance - tensile strain
• HDT (0,45 MPa) from 46 up to over 120 °C and oil bottling. UV stabilized grades 900
• Pibiflex® 3567 S2 Black 33
800
Applications Medical grades • Pibiflex® 50517 Black
700
• Automotive: CVJ boots, airbags, air ducts, belt drives, Pibiflex® grades 2560 and 3560 comply with • Pibiflex® 6097 Black
600
conveyor belts, hoses and steering wheel covers, soft the requirements of USP XXXII:2009 Class VI show a substantial retain of mechanical properties

tensile strain at break %

after 1000 hours exposure to Xenon lamps 500
skins for dashboard, door panels and interior trims and ISO 10993-4/5/10 and can be used in medical
• Electrical appliance: wire and cable jackets, applications. (Norm PSA Peugeot Citroen D27 1389). 400
300
buttons and grips of electric power tools equipment Test performed:
• Industrial: railroad tie pads, high-pressure gaskets, • Intracutaneous reactivity 200

silent gears, spring of dispensing machines, cable ties • Systemic toxicity 100
• Sport: flipper blades • Implantation test in the rabbit Hours >
0
• Physicochemical test <661> Plastics:
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
nonvolatile residue, heavy metals, buffering capacity
Pibiflex® 3567S2 ShD 35 Pibiflex® 50517 ShD 50 Pibiflex® 6097 ShD 60
• Cytotoxicity, MEM Elution
• Hemolysis test, direct and indirect contact

UV resistance - tensile strength

35

30

25

tensile strength at break MPa

20

15

10

5
Bi-material air duct
Hours >
CVJ boots Blow moulded PBT ducts, heat welded to theTPC base 0

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
Pibiflex® B5050 MWR (Blow moulding grade) Pibiter® BM521 (PBT, blow moulding)
Pibiflex® 4054 IM (Injection moulding grade) Pibiflex® 4632 (TPC, injection moulding) Pibiflex® 3567S2 ShD 35 Pibiflex® 50517 ShD 50 Pibiflex® 6097 ShD 60

2 3
 Pibiflex® Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer (TPC)

Chemical resistance Processing conditions

Pibiflex® offers outstanding chemical resistance Injection moulding
to fuels, oils, greases and it is particularly suitable
drying 3-4 h @ 90-120 °C in dehumidifying hopper drier
for applications in the automotive sector
where continuous contact with oils and greases plasticizing screw polyesther-type screw

at high temperature is required. screw L/D ratio ≥ 20:1

screw compression ratio 3:1 to 4:1

plasticizing speed high

Hardness (Shore D) injection speed high

35-40 45-55 >60 injection pressure high

Oils, greases, hydrocarbons runners having circular section and gradually decreasing flow-through diameter

Mineral oil, grease, non aromatic hydrocarbons injection points (*) Ø ≥ 0.7 mm

Benzene, toluene, aromatic hydrocarbons, chemicals, solvents mould air vents Ø 0.03 ÷ 0.05 mm

Water, alchohols, glycols Extrusion/blow moulding

At ambient temperature drying 3-4 h @ 90-120 °C in dehumidifying hopper drier

>50 °C without specific stabilizer plasticizing screw polyethylene-type screw

>50 °C with specific stabilizer screw L/D ratio ≥ 20:1

Acids and bases screw compression ratio 2,5:1 to 3,5:1

Diluited die land <10 mm

Concentrated breaker plate 60 Mesh

(*) We recommend not to use injection points having a diameter <0.3 mm without prior selection of the appropriate grades,
to be agreed with SO.F.TER. Technical Support.

Pibiflex® B5050 MWR ageing in grease (OLCi) - 336 h @ 125 °C Pibiflex® B5050 MWR ageing in grease (2LN584LO) - 336 h @ 125 °C
476
544
476

290
Indicative processing temperatures (°C)
41,5 41,5
35,5 39
34 34
24
17

Hardness Tensile strenght Tensile strain Hardness Tensile strenght Tensile strain

Recycling Packaging and storage Injection moulding 1st Zone 2nd Zone 3rd Zone Nozzle Mould
Pibiflex® is a fully recyclable material. Pibiflex® is supplied in 25 kg moisture proof aluminium hardness 25-50 ShD 210-225 220-230 225-240 230-250 40-60
Production scraps can be re-used after grinding. bags. The product should be stored in its original
hardness 55-70 ShD 220-230 230-240 240-250 240-250 40-70
Recovered material can be mixed with virgin material, packaging in a cool, dry place at temperatures
but we recommend not to exceed a percentage of 20%, below 40 °C. Exposure to light and to other heat
Extrusion 1st Zone 2nd Zone 3rd Zone Head Die
in order not to alter the compound final quality. sources must be avoided.
hardness 45-60 ShD 220-230 230-240 240-250 230-250 230-250

Blow moulding 1st Zone 2nd Zone 3rd Zone Head Die

hardness 40-50 ShD 200-220 210-230 220-240 220-250 220-250

4 5
 Pibiflex® Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer (TPC)

Technical data
PIBIFLEX® Thermoplastic Copolyester Elastomer (TPC)
INJECTION MOULDING BLOW MOULDING EXTRUSION
Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex® Pibiflex®
2094 S 2560 3560 3567 4010 4054 4482 4612 5312 5612 5880 6097 L 6360 7212 8394 B 5050 RFB 40011 B 50518 E 4482 E 5332 E 5888 E 6060
NAT NAT NAT S2 LC NAT IM NERO NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NERO NAT NAT NAT MWR NERO NERO T2 NERO NAT NAT NAT NAT
Physical properties Method Unit
hardness 15” ASTM D2240 Shore D 23 27 35 35 33 41 44 46 53 54 56 60 63 68 66 41 45 48 45 53 55 60
density ASTM D792 g/cm 3
1,09 1,09 1,12 1,12 1,15 1,14 1,19 1,17 1,2 1,22 1,24 1,21 1,24 1,27 1,26 1,14 1,16 1,18 1,19 1,23 1,24 1,23
water absorption 24 h/23 °C ASTM D570 % - 0,95 0,9 0,9 0,6 3 0,8 0,6 0,52 2,5 0,23 0,22 0,16 0,3 0,6 3 1,25 2,5 0,23
melting point (dsc) ASTM D3417 °C 185 185 195 195 155 200 210 194 203 208 218 212 219 215 198 200 214 205 210 200 218 218
glass transition INTERNAL °C - -70 -65 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
MVR melt volume rate (220 °c - 2,16 kg) ASTM D1238 cm /10’
3
9 20 25 25 16 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
MFI melt flow index (230 °c - 2,16 kg) ASTM D1238 g/10' - - - - - 10 13 20 15 15 - 9 80 - 25 1,5 - - 5 9 7 9
MFI melt flow index (230 °c - 5 kg) ASTM D1238 g/10' - - - - - - - - - - 12 - - - - - 5 1 - - - -
MFI melt flow index (240 °c - 2,16 kg) ASTM D1238 g/10' - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 - - - - - - - -
Mechanical properties
tensile strength at break ASTM D638 MPa 12 16 18 18 20 33 28 25 30 35 38 30 34 40 32 30 28 30 28 35 40 35
elongation at break ASTM D638 % 750 800 850 750 730 600 500 800 650 600 500 400 500 420 350 460 500 350 500 600 500 500
flexural modulus ASTM D790 MPa 30 35 55 55 56 90 150 125 210 260 300 450 520 640 1100 90 160 150 160 220 300 430
tear strength ASTM D624 N/mm - - 60 - - 98 - 85 - 155 - - - - - 110 - - - 120 - -
fatigue resistance ASTM D1052 mm/Kcicli - - 0,1/300 - - 0,1/300 - 0,1/300 - 6/50 - - - - - 0,1/300 - - - 0,1/300 - -
IZOD impact strength notched at 23 °C ASTM D256/A J/m N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. 800 N.B. - - - 85 N.B. N.B. - N.B. N.B. N.B. -
IZOD impact strength notched at -10 °C ASTM D256/A J/m - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - N.B. - - - -
IZOD impact strength notched at -30 °C ASTM D256/A J/m N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. N.B. 130 N.B. - - - - N.B. N.B. - N.B. 800 N.B. -
IZOD impact strength notched at -40 °C ASTM D256/A J/m - - - - - - - - - - - - 80 - - - N.B. 500 - - - -
IZOD impact strength notched at -50 °C ASTM D256/A J/m - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 150 - - - -
abrasion resistance (taber h18 - 1kg) ASTM D1044 mg/Kcicli 50 - - - - - - 85 - 73 - - - - - - - - - 62 - -
Thermal properties
VICAT method A (120 °C/h at 10 N) ASTM D1525 °C - - - - - 155 - 148 - 188 198 - 203 - 175 155 - 175 - 180 198 >150
H.D.T. Method B (0,45 MPa) ASTM D648 °C - - - - - - - 54 - 88 - - - - 73 - - - - 80 - 95
Flammability properties
oxygen index ASTM D2863 - 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 21 21 22 20 20 20 20 20 21
flame rating 1.6 mm UL 94 - - - - - - - - - - - - - HB - - - - - - - - -
Electrical properties
volume resistivity at 23 °C ASTM D257 Ohm.cm - > 1013 > 1013 - - - - > 1013 - > 1013 - - > 1013 > 1014 - - - - - - - -
volume resistivity at 100 °C ASTM D257 Ohm.cm - > 10 11
> 10 11
- - - - > 10 11
- > 10 12
- - > 10 12
> 10 13
- - - - - - - -
dielectric strength at 2,0 mm -23 °C ASTM D149 kV/mm - 16 17 - - - - 17 - 18 - - - 18 - - - - - - - -
dielectric constant 1KHz ASTM D150 - - 4,4 4,3 - - - - 4,25 - 3,8 - - - 2,85 - - - - - - - -
dielectric constant 100KHz ASTM D150 - - 4,3 4,25 - - - - 4,21 - 3,7 - - - 2,75 - - - - - - - -
dissipation factor tan ∂ - 1 KHz ASTM D150 - - 0,005 0,006 - - - - 0,006 - 0,011 - - - 0,0132 - - - - - - - -
dissipation factor tan ∂ - 100 KHz ASTM D150 - - 0,014 0,015 - - - - 0,016 - 0,024 - - - 0,0126 - - - - - - - -

All the figures reported in this publication are the result of tests and analyses carried out in our laboratories and are believed to be accurate and reliable.
Tests are performed at 23 °C unless otherwise specified. Data may be subject to revision and are provided for general guidance only.
The user is responsible for carrying out all the tests necessary to verify the suitability of the material for the specific application.
6 SO.F.TER. makes no warranties and assumes no liability in connection with any use of this information. 7
 Dolphin

Aesthetics meets technology • excellent aesthetic properties in various colours

Dolphin is an innovative technology that enables • high chemical affinity with the gas used
the production of soft-touch dashboard and interior in the MuCell® foaming process
panels in a single phase. • high chemical affinity with the structural carrier
made in PC/ABS
The production of the three-layer structure takes place
in a single moulding cell: The high chemical affinity of the materials used
ensures a perfect adhesion between rigid and soft part,
1. injection of the rigid structural carrier in Reblend®
as confirmed by specific tests.
(PC/ABS alloy)
2. injection and foaming of the intermediate Pibiflex® 3567 S2 meets the requirements
structural layer (MuCell® foamed Pibiflex®) of the following automotive norms:
3. injection of upper soft-touch layer in Pibiflex®
• material properties DBL 5562.50
Benefits • climate resistance test
• leaner logistics and production cycle (alternating climates) DBL 5471
• cost reduction
• constant climate (dry hot) DBL 5471
• full recyclability of the entire item, in compliance with
• constant climate (wet hot) DBL 5471
EU Directive 2000/53/EC – ELV (End of Life Vehicles).
• colour change after climate storage DBL 5471
Application • solar simulation DBL 5471
Dashboard, door panels, armrest, consoles and soft-touch • abrasion resistance DIN EN ISO 105-X12
parts of automotive interiors. • scratch resistance DBL 5471
• emission analysis VOC DBL 8585 – VDA 278
Pibiflex® 3567 S2 • emission analysis FOG DBL 8585 – VDA 278
The soft-touch skin is made with Pibiflex® 3567 S2 • odour test DBL 5471 – VDA 270
a grade specifically developed for this application • fogging test DBL 5471 – DIN 75 201
which guarantees:
• very high UV and scratch resistance combined Reblend®
with excellent haptic properties The rigid carrier is made with Reblend (PC/ABS alloy).
• preservation of properties (haptic and softness) The specific grade developed for this application
even at very low temperature has good flowability and high dimensional stability.