KRAIBURG TPE's innovative lagging compound makes installation of roof rail covers easier

KRAIBURG TPE manufactures a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) products not only for various interior and exterior applications, but also in engine compartments and motor vehicle powertrai.

Gutsche Engineering, a company specializing in the production of vehicle components, collaborated with KRAIBURG TPE for the production of innovative roof rail cove.

The compound's excellent weatherability and strong ASA lagging allow Gutsche Engineering to achieve cost-effective and high-quality product par.

This innovative component from Gutsche Engineering includes an all-round sealing assembly cover that seals in many places that previously could only be done from under the roof rails, which is cost.

In fact, simplifying the OEM's assembly process is just one of the benefits of this multi-component pa.

Martin Gutsche, managing director of Gutsche Engineering, explains: "We were looking for a TPE for sealing that could be moulded directly onto the ASA hard part of the lid, ensuring a permanent and reliable encapsulation with this copolym.

“Another decisive factor was the lagging of the TPE, which allowed us to minimize cavity pressure to adopt thinner sealing lip geometries without imprinting hard par.

As a result of previous successful project collaborations between the two parties, Gutsche Engineering began to study the encapsulation properties of KRAIBURG® at an early stage of development, looking for the best TPE for the company's innovative applicatio.

"In order to determine the adhesion of various material combinations according to different processing parameters, KRAIBURG TPE offers a dedicated service for specific tests, helping them to check the peel resistance of their products according to the VDI 2019 standard," he sa.

"Experience has taught us that the inclusion of a partner at the beginning of a project and associated preliminary testing can be decisive in minimizing development costs and accelerating time-to-mark.

In addition to its lagging properties with polar thermoplastics, the Thermoplastic A compound material has been selected for its high flow properties to fill molds for parts with complex geometri.

The company's THERMOLAST A compound can meet stringent OEM requirements, provide a gray scale of greater than 4, and weather a two-year cycle ahead of time according to PV 3929 and PV 3930 standar.

In addition, this material has also proved its extraordinary value during outdoor weatheri.

This application of THERMOLAST A has entered mass production since the first quarter of 2019, helping the company create high-quality SUV roof rail syste.

"Exterior applications are increasingly becoming a very important part of KRAIBURG TPE's busine.