Thermoplastic compositions, methods, apparatus, and uses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018312667-A1
Application number	US-201815965363-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 27, 2018
Priority date	Apr 28, 2017
Publication date	Nov 1, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) compositions, methods for producing TPU compositions, methods of using TPU compositions, and apparatuses produced therefrom are disclosed. Disclosed TPU compositions include a thermoplastic polyurethane polymer, a heat stabilizer, a flow agent, and a filler material. The filler may be a glass fiber. Disclosed TPU compositions have improved thermal stability and improved flow properties suitable for injection molding of articles of manufacture having a large plurality of fine openings or pores. Articles produced from the composition have superior thermal stability, abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance. Example articles include screening members for vibratory screening machines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A composition comprising:
a thermoplastic polyurethane, a heat stabilizer selected to optimize heat resistance of the composition, a flow agent selected to optimize use of the composition in injection molding, and a filler, the filler comprising glass fibers, wherein the glass fibers are less than about 10% by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers are less than about 7 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

3 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers are less than about 5 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

4 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers are less than about 3 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

5 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is made from a low free isocyanate monomer prepolymer.

6 . The composition of claim 5 , wherein the low free isocyanate monomer prepolymer is p-phenylene di-isocyanate.

7 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is obtained by a process wherein a thermoplastic polyurethane polymer produced by reacting a urethane prepolymer having a free polyisocyanate monomer content of less than 1% by weight with a curing agent is thermally processed by extrusion at temperatures of 150° C. or higher.

8 . The composition of claim 7 , wherein the urethane prepolymer is prepared from a polyisocyanate monomer and a polyol comprising an alkane diol, polyether polyol, polyester polyol, polycaprolactone polyol and/or polycarbonate polyol, and the curing agent comprises a diol, triol, tetrol, alkylene polyol, polyether polyol, polyester polyol, polycaprolactone polyol, polycarbonate polyol, diamine or diamine derivative.

9 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the heat stabilizer is about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

10 . The composition of claim 9 , wherein the heat stabilizer comprises a sterically hindered phenolic antioxidant.

11 . The composition of claim 10 , wherein the sterically hindered phenolic antioxidant is pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate) (CAS Registry No. 6683-19-8).

12 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the flow agent is about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

13 . The composition of claim 12 , wherein the flow agent comprises an ethylene steramide wax.

14 . The composition of claim 13 , wherein the ethylene steramide wax comprises octadecanamide, N,N′-1,2-ethanediylbis (CAS Registry No. 110-30-5) and stearic acid (CAS Registry No. 57-11-4).

15 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers have a diameter or width of less than about 20 μm.

16 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers have a diameter or width of between about 9 to about 13 μm.

17 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers have an initial length of less than about 3.4 mm.

18 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers have an initial length of between about 3.1 mm to about 3.2 mm.

19 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers in a hardened state after injection molding have an average length of less than about 1.5 mm.

20 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the glass fibers in a hardened state after injection molding have a distribution of lengths of between about 1.0 mm to about 3.2 mm.

21 . The composition of claim 1 , further comprising an ultraviolet light stabilizer.

22 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein articles of manufacture that are molded from the composition are laser weldable articles.

23 . A method of making a composition suitable for use in injection molding of articles of manufacture having fine pores, comprising:
reacting a thermoplastic polyurethane, a heat stabilizer, a flow agent and a filler at a temperature greater than about 150° C. to produce a thermoplastic polyurethane composition, the filler comprising glass fibers, wherein the glass fibers are less than about 10% by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

24 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers are less than about 7 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

25 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers are less than about 5 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

26 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers are less than about 3 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

27 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is made from a low free isocyanate monomer prepolymer.

28 . The composition of claim 27 , wherein the low free isocyanate monomer prepolymer is p-phenylene di-isocyanate.

29 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane is obtained by a process wherein a thermoplastic polyurethane polymer produced by reacting a urethane prepolymer having a free polyisocyanate monomer content of less than 1% by weight with a curing agent is thermally processed by extrusion at temperatures of 150° C. or higher.

30 . The composition of claim 29 , wherein the urethane prepolymer is prepared from a polyisocyanate monomer and a polyol comprising an alkane diol, polyether polyol, polyester polyol, polycaprolactone polyol and/or polycarbonate polyol, and the curing agent comprises a diol, triol, tetrol, alkylene polyol, polyether polyol, polyester polyol, polycaprolactone polyol, polycarbonate polyol, diamine or diamine derivative.

31 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the heat stabilizer is about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

32 . The composition of claim 31 , wherein the heat stabilizer comprises a sterically hindered phenolic antioxidant.

33 . The composition of claim 32 , wherein the sterically hindered phenolic antioxidant is pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate) (CAS Registry No. 6683-19-8).

34 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the flow agent is about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent by weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane.

35 . The composition of claim 34 , wherein the flow agent comprises an ethylene steramide wax.

36 . The composition of claim 35 , wherein the ethylene steramide wax comprises octadecanamide, N,N′-1,2-ethanediylbis (CAS Registry No. 110-30-5) and stearic acid (CAS Registry No. 57-11-4).

37 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers have a diameter or width of less than about 20 μm.

38 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers have a diameter or width of between about 9 to about 13 μm.

39 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers have an initial length of less than about 3.4 mm.

40 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers have an initial length of between about 3.1 mm to about 3.2 mm.

41 . The composition of claim 23 , wherein the glass fibers in a hardened state after injection molding have an average length of less than abou

Assignees

• Derrick Corp

Inventors

• Colgrove James R
• Wojciechowski Keith

Classifications

• B29B7/48

  with intermeshing devices, e.g. screws · CPC title

• B29B9/14

  fibre-reinforced · CPC title

• C08G18/42

  Polycondensates having carboxylic or carbonic ester groups in the main chain · CPC title

• C08G18/48

  Polyethers · CPC title

• B29B9/06

  in the form of filamentary material, e.g. combined with extrusion · CPC title