The Impact of Processing Parameters on the Final Properties of Components Made from Lanxess Ultralast Thermoplastic Polyurethane.

Date：2025-07-31 Categories：News

The Impact of Processing Parameters on the Final Properties of Components Made from Lanxess Ultralast Thermoplastic Polyurethane
By Dr. Elena Marquez, Materials Engineer & Polymer Enthusiast
☕️ "Plastics, my dear, are not just for bags and bottles—especially when they can stretch, rebound, and still look good doing it."

Let’s talk about Ultralast, shall we? Not a superhero (though it sometimes feels like one), but a high-performance thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) from Lanxess that’s been quietly revolutionizing everything from automotive bushings to hiking boot soles. It’s the Swiss Army knife of elastomers—tough, flexible, and annoyingly good at its job. But here’s the catch: how you process it can make or break its final performance. It’s like baking a soufflé—get the oven temperature wrong, and instead of rising like a dream, you get a pancake with identity issues.

So, buckle up. We’re diving into the nitty-gritty of processing parameters and how they shape the final properties of components made from Lanxess Ultralast TPU. Think of this as a backstage pass to the polymer’s personality—because yes, plastics have personalities.

🔧 Why Ultralast? A Quick Refresher

Before we geek out on processing, let’s remind ourselves why Ultralast deserves a standing ovation.

Ultralast is a segmented block copolymer—a fancy way of saying it’s made of hard and soft segments that play a tug-of-war to give you both strength and elasticity. It’s abrasion-resistant, oil-resistant, UV-stable, and—wait for it—recyclable. Lanxess markets it for dynamic applications: gears, seals, conveyor belts, even medical tubing. It’s the kind of material that says, “I can take a beating and still look fabulous.”

But here’s the thing: raw material excellence means nothing if your processing is sloppy. It’s like giving a Ferrari to someone who only knows how to drive in reverse.

🛠️ The Big Five: Key Processing Parameters

Let’s meet the usual suspects—five processing parameters that have the most dramatic impact on Ultralast’s final behavior:

Melt Temperature
Mold Temperature
Injection Speed
Holding Pressure
Cooling Time

Each one is a dial you can tweak, and each tweak sends ripples through mechanical, thermal, and aesthetic properties. Let’s break them down with data, drama, and a dash of dry humor.

1. Melt Temperature: Don’t Boil the Frog

Too low? The TPU won’t flow. Too high? You’re basically cooking a polymer stew, and nobody wants charred elastomer for dinner.

Ultralast grades typically recommend melt temps between 190°C and 230°C, depending on hardness and grade. Exceeding 240°C risks thermal degradation—hello, yellowing, bubbles, and molecular chain scission. 😬

Ultralast Grade	Recommended Melt Temp (°C)	Max Safe Temp (°C)	Notes
Ultralast 9085 (85A)	190–210	220	Low viscosity, ideal for thin walls
Ultralast 95D (55D)	200–220	230	Higher melt strength
Ultralast 98A (98A)	210–230	240	Sensitive to overheating

Source: Lanxess Technical Data Sheets, 2023

A study by Müller et al. (2021) showed that processing Ultralast 95D at 235°C for more than 10 minutes reduced tensile strength by 18% due to oxidative chain breakdown. That’s like running a marathon with one shoelace untied—eventually, something snaps.

2. Mold Temperature: Chill Out, But Not Too Much

Mold temperature affects crystallinity, surface finish, and internal stress. Cold molds (30–40°C) give you faster cycles but can trap stress and reduce elongation. Warm molds (50–70°C) allow slower, more orderly chain alignment—like letting dough rise properly.

Mold Temp (°C)	Effect on Properties	Ideal For
30–40	Fast cycle, high gloss, but lower elongation	High-volume, non-dynamic parts
50–60	Balanced mechanicals, reduced warpage	Seals, gaskets
60–70	Higher tensile & tear strength, matte finish	Load-bearing components

Adapted from Zhang & Liu, Polymer Processing and Applications, 2020

Fun fact: In a comparative trial at a German automotive supplier, bumping mold temp from 40°C to 65°C increased the fatigue life of suspension bushings by 40%. That’s not just better performance—it’s fewer warranty claims. 💰

3. Injection Speed: Slow and Steady or Fast and Furious?

Fast injection fills thin sections quickly but can cause jetting (where molten TPU shoots through the cavity like a polymer water pistol) and air traps. Slow injection reduces shear stress but risks premature cooling.

Speed Setting	Shear Rate (s⁻¹)	Risk	Benefit
Low (10–20 mm/s)	<50	Short shots	Low orientation, uniform properties
Medium (30–50 mm/s)	50–100	Minimal	Balanced flow and strength
High (70+ mm/s)	>150	Jetting, burn marks	Thin-wall filling

Data from K. Patel, Journal of Injection Molding Technology, Vol. 27, 2022

Pro tip: Use multi-stage injection. Start fast to initiate flow, then slow down to pack the cavity gently. It’s like starting a conversation with a joke, then getting serious—keeps things moving smoothly.

4. Holding Pressure: The Gentle Squeeze

After injection, holding pressure packs more material into the mold to compensate for shrinkage. Too little? Sinks and voids. Too much? Flash, stress, and delamination.

Holding Pressure (% of Injection)	Shrinkage (%)	Surface Quality	Risk
40–50%	1.8–2.2	Slight sink marks	Under-packed
60–70%	1.4–1.6	Smooth, dense	Optimal
80–90%	1.2–1.4	Flash at parting line	Over-stressed

Based on internal trials at FlexiPoly GmbH, 2021

Holding time matters too. 10–15 seconds is usually enough. Any longer, and you’re just squeezing out profits in energy costs.

5. Cooling Time: Patience is a Virtue (and a Time-Saver)

Cooling time is often seen as dead time, but it’s where the magic of morphology happens. Cool too fast, and you lock in amorphous disorder. Cool too slow, and your cycle time balloons.

Cooling Time (s)	Cycle Time Impact	Crystallinity (%)	Dimensional Stability
15	Low	~25	Poor
30	Moderate	~35	Good
45	High	~40	Excellent

Source: Chen et al., Thermoplastic Elastomers: Structure and Performance, Wiley, 2019

A neat trick? Use conformal cooling channels in molds. They follow the part’s shape like a hugging snake, cooling evenly. One manufacturer reported a 22% reduction in warpage using this method—worth every penny of the mold cost.

📊 The Domino Effect: How Parameters Influence Final Properties

Let’s connect the dots. Here’s how processing tweaks ripple through key performance metrics.

Parameter	↑ Tensile Strength	↑ Elongation	↑ Abrasion Resistance	↓ Warpage	↑ Surface Gloss
Melt Temp ↑ (within range)	✅	❌	✅	⚠️ (if too high)	✅
Mold Temp ↑	✅✅	✅✅	✅	✅✅	❌ (matte)
Injection Speed ↑	⚠️ (orientation)	❌	⚠️	❌	✅
Holding Pressure ↑	✅✅	❌	✅	✅✅	✅
Cooling Time ↑	✅	✅	✅✅	✅✅	⚠️

✅ = Positive effect
❌ = Negative effect
⚠️ = Context-dependent

This table isn’t just data—it’s your cheat sheet for tuning Ultralast like a fine instrument.

🌍 Real-World Lessons: What Industry Has Learned

Let’s take a page from the field.

Case 1: Footwear Midsoles (China)
A manufacturer switched from 40°C to 60°C mold temp and saw a 30% improvement in rebound resilience. Runners didn’t care about processing—they just noticed their shoes felt “springier.” Mission accomplished.
Case 2: Industrial Conveyor Belts (USA)
Over-injection at high speed caused micro-cracks in welded joints. Reducing speed and adding a soft-start injection profile increased belt life from 8 to 14 months. That’s six extra months of not replacing belts in a dusty factory. Bliss.
Case 3: Automotive Seals (Germany)
Using a melt temp of 235°C (above recommendation) led to yellowing and seal hardening after 6 months in UV exposure. Switching to 220°C and adding a UV stabilizer masterbatch fixed both issues. Lesson: respect the datasheet.

🧪 Bonus: Post-Processing & Annealing

Did you know Ultralast can be annealed? Heat it to 80–100°C for 1–2 hours, and you relieve internal stresses and boost crystallinity. It’s like a spa day for your parts—relaxation, realignment, and renewed performance.

Annealing can improve:

Dimensional stability by up to 15%
Heat deflection temperature by 5–10°C
Long-term creep resistance

Just don’t forget to cool slowly. Quenching a TPU part is like dunking a warm cookie in milk—sudden collapse.

🔚 Final Thoughts: The Alchemy of Processing

Processing Ultralast isn’t just science—it’s craftsmanship. You’re not just melting and molding; you’re choreographing molecular dance moves. The hard segments align, the soft segments coil, and if you get the rhythm right, you end up with a component that’s tough, elastic, and ready to perform.

So next time you’re tweaking your injection molding profile, remember: you’re not just a process engineer. You’re a polymer whisperer. 🎶

And if someone asks why your bushings last longer or your soles bounce better—just smile and say, “It’s all in the melt.”

References

Lanxess AG. Ultralast Product Portfolio – Technical Data Sheets. Leverkusen, Germany, 2023.
Müller, A., Schmidt, R. "Thermal Degradation of TPU in Injection Molding: A Kinetic Study." Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 185, 2021, p. 109432.
Zhang, L., Liu, Y. Polymer Processing and Applications. Beijing: China Petrochemical Press, 2020.
Patel, K. "Shear Effects on TPU Morphology in Thin-Wall Molding." Journal of Injection Molding Technology, vol. 27, no. 3, 2022, pp. 45–52.
Chen, W., et al. Thermoplastic Elastomers: Structure and Performance. Hoboken: Wiley, 2019.
FlexiPoly GmbH. Internal Processing Trials on Ultralast 95D. Internal Report, 2021.
ISO 18434-1:2008. Plastics – Determination of residual stresses in transparent materials – Part 1: Photoelastic method.

Elena Marquez is a senior materials engineer with over 12 years in polymer processing. When not debugging molding cycles, she’s hiking in the Alps with boots likely made from—yes—TPU. 🏔️👟

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