If the requirements are not met by one specific material, two or more thermoplastics can be combined to close the gap. The second (over-mold) material is either injected onto one side of the insert or sometimes completely surrounds the insert. Only in the last one decade applications have emerged which demand combining hard and soft thermoplastic materials.

When the company turned its eye on one of its most ubiquitous products – electrical junction boxes – it had a real challenge on its hands. Anything they developed would have to meet the international electrical standard IEC 60670-1, which says the materials used in the wall boxes have to pass a Glow Wire Flammability Index (GWFI) 850°C testing (IEC 60695-2-12) at the application thickness, and 960°C at 2mm. All grades pass IEC 60695-2-12 Glow Wire Flammability Index (GWFI) at 960°

050BK2017 BLACK DK GRAY 2 TPU YELLOW 2

WHITE PP UV 2 PLATA 62 PC/PBT 2 TX7 GLOBAL BLACK PP1498-01

BROWN 8022 REV 2 BLACK W/UV/SB7823 UV White

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IMPACT PROTECTION D E S I G N A N D M A T E R I A L S O L U T I O N S Avient Corporation 1 PROJECT KICK OFF B R I E F Application: Protective sports equipment Challenge: Provide functional material to protect against impact for chest protector Requirements: • Compact - reduce thickness and weight for improved comfort and functionality • Meet EN standards • EN1621-1 level 2 & EN1621-2 level 1 • Eliminate the use of foam and glue • Be waterproof and easy to clean • Sustainable • Easy to prototype & considers manufacturing efficiency Avient Corporation 2 VIBRATION DAMPING TECHNOLOGY (VDT) H O W D O E S I T W O R K ? Avient Corporation 3 Simplified Drop Test • 65g steel ball • Dropped from 305mm • Onto 3.175mm thickness flat samples Materials Tested • Standard TPE 30 Shore A • TPU alloy 60 Shore A • Damping TPE 32 Shore A VDT reduces bounce Avient Corporation 4 SIMULATION & CALIBRATION E N 1 6 2 1 - 1 L E V E L 2 Image courtesy of Airobag TV https://www.youtube.com/c/AirobagTV/videos Simulation of Impact A weight dropped onto protective element in contact with rigid substrate https://www.youtube.com/c/AirobagTV/videos Avient Corporation 5 SIMULATION & CALIBRATION E N 1 6 2 1 - 1 L E V E L 2 REFINING THE DESIGN D E S I G N A N D M A T E R I A L C O M B I N A T I O N Avient Corporation 6 • A number of different shapes and designs are created and simulated to determine which one works best • Refining to meet EN standard • VDT TPEs can help reach compliance with EN1621-1 level 2 and EN1621-2 level 1 • Optimum protection can be achieved by combining industrial design and engineering Avient Corporation 7 VALIDATION P R O T O T Y P I N G W I T H 3 D P R I N T I N G 3D Printing Validation -15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10% Density Tensile Strength // Tear resistance // Rebound resilience 2mm 3D Printed VDT vs Injection Molded VDT can be 3D printed for concept evaluation early in the design process SUMMARY Avient Corporation 8 • Enabled a new, compact design with a customized VDT TPE formulation • Improved user comfort and functionality • Fulfilled EN standards • Reduced number of prototyping tools required • Reduced time spent in product development by 40 percent, enabling faster commercialization of product

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So one-time users become repeat purchasers.