Si-TPV Solutions for soft touch ovemolding on Sporting Goods and Leisure Equipment

How to solve Common Overmolding Challenges and Elevate Comfort, Aesthetics & Durability in Soft-Touch Design?

Global Trends in Sports Equipment

The global demand for sports equipment is steadily increasing, driven by growing awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and the importance of engaging in sports and fitness activities. However, for manufacturers of sports equipment, ensuring that their products are not only durable but also ergonomically designed is crucial to success. Key features such as rigidity, flexibility, physical appearance, and overall functionality are essential, but these attributes alone are not sufficient. To keep pace with evolving consumer preferences, ongoing innovation, and rapid technological advancements are necessary. This is where plastic injection molding and overmolding come into play, which can enhance the performance in the end-use application and marketability of such Sporting Goods and Leisure Equipment.

Enhancing Sporting Goods and Leisure Equipment Design with Overmolding Techniques

Overmolding, also known as two-shot molding or multi-material molding, is a manufacturing process where two or more materials are molded together to create a single, integrated product. This technique involves injecting one material over another to achieve a product with improved properties, such as enhanced grip,It can be used to enhance many features of product design, increased durability, and added aesthetic appeal.

The process typically involves two steps. First, a base material, often a rigid plastic, is molded into a specific shape or structure. In the second step, a second material, which is usually a softer and more flexible material, is injected over the first to create the final product. The two materials chemically bond during the molding process, creating a seamless integration.

Usually, The use of a wide variety of thermoplastic elastomer(TPE) materials as an over-molding material onto engineering plastics as rigid substrates material to make molded products. It can provide a soft feel and non-slip grip surface for improved product features or performance. It can also be used as an insulator of heat, vibration, or electricity. Overmolding eliminates the need for adhesives and primers to bond thermoplastic elastomers to rigid substrates.

However, with the market trends in combination with the innovative molding techniques available have placed a high demand on thermoplastic elastomer suppliers to produce soft-touch compounds capable of bonding to the different engineering plastics or metals available.

Meeting Market Demands with Si-TPV Thermoplastic Elastomers

In response to market trends and the demand for innovative molding techniques,  SILIKE has risen to this challenge by developing a range of Si-TPV Thermoplastic elastomers designed to meet the specific needs of various industries, including sporting and leisure equipment, personal care products, power and hand tools, lawn and garden tools, toys, eyewear, cosmetic packaging, healthcare devices, smart wearable devices, portable electronics, handheld electronics, household appliances, and more.

Si-TPV Thermoplastic elastomers offer a unique combination of low compression set, long-lasting silky feel, and stain resistance. These properties are essential for applications that require not only aesthetic appeal but also safety, antimicrobial qualities, grip-enhancing technologies, and chemical resistance. With excellent adhesion performance on a variety of substrates.

Si-TPV Thermoplastic elastomers demonstrate processability akin to conventional TPE materials. They also exhibit superior engineering physical properties and maintain acceptable compression sets at both room and elevated temperatures. Furthermore, Si-TPV elastomers often eliminate the need for secondary operations, leading to faster cycle times and reduced production costs. These soft skin-friendly comfort elastomeric materials impart a silicone rubber-like feel to overmolded parts, enhancing the tactile experience for the user.

In addition to its remarkable properties, Si-TPV embraces sustainability by being recyclable and reusable in traditional manufacturing processes. This enhances eco-friendliness and contributes to more sustainable production practices.