PolyOne’s crosslinkable Barricade™ elastomers for hoses and tubing

Barricade™ crosslinkable elastomers bridge the gap between TPEs and silicone to deliver high-temperature compression set performance at lighter weight

PolyOne announced in May the launch of Barricade™ elastomers, the newest addition to its specialty elastomer portfolio. Based on Fortrex™ technology licensed from Cooper Standard, this crosslinkable elastomer offers high-temperature compression set performance, easier processing, and a lighter weight solution when compared to conventional TPVs, silicones, and thermoset rubbers.

“This next generation thermoplastic technology bridges the historic gap in performance between TPEs and silicone, opening up abundant application opportunities,” said Jean-Paul Scheepens, general manager, Americas, Specialty Engineered Materials at PolyOne. “Likewise, our investment in this technology strengthens our ability to serve customers with expanded solutions and advanced capabilities that can solve material challenges across a broad range of applications.”

Barricade solutions are lighter in weight and show improved tear strength over general-purpose TPV and silicone materials. Together with elevated compression set performance for high-temperature applications, this combination expands design freedom and processing ease for tubing, hoses, seals, gaskets, grommets, and more within consumer, healthcare, and industrial markets. The naturally translucent material can be colored press-side or formulated in a custom pre-colored version.

Commercially available in major markets, the Barricade product line is currently manufactured in North America.