This seminar provides a comprehensive review of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) technology, focusing on both fundamental material science and engineering applications. Classroom lectures examine the physical and chemical nature of the various classes of TPEs, with emphasis on mechanical and rheological properties relevant to product design and manufacturing.
Hands-on two-shot TPE overmolding workshops supplement the classroom material, giving participants direct experience with machine operation and practical molding techniques. Machine start-up, operation, and shutdown procedures are demonstrated, and molding trials are conducted to illustrate the relationships between processing variables and final part quality.