Learning aids made child-safe with TPEs

Playing games is a natural form of learning for children. Especially during their formative years, incorporating play with educational toys can maximize a child’s learning potential and aid in the development of a child’s intelligence, problem-solving skills, creativity, emotional and social skills as well as locomotor skills.

Therefore, in recent times, the emphasis on child learning at difference stages of their lives, from a toddler to a teenager, has grown through various educational materials like toys, electronic books and others.

And just like regular toys, educational toys need to be safe from potentially harmful materials such as phthalates, Bisphenol A (BPA), PVC, plasticizers and toxic heavy metals like lead.

Innovative materials such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) allow for safety in toy applications, while not compromising on the design and quality of the products. Owing to the flexibility and variations in colors, TPEs have been widely used to enhance the aesthetic appeal of educational toys for children.

KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer products and custom solutions for multiple industries, offers the THERMOLAST® K FC/AD1/PS series and FC/CS series that are targeted at educational toys.

Building blocks of safety

Not only is exposure from industrial chemicals and synthetic substances used in toys a priority, safety is also an important issue for toys.

For KRAIBURG TPE, safety is not a game of chance. Ensuring safety, the THERMOLAST® K FC/AD1/PS series and FC/CS series are compliant with the global standards for food-contact safety such as the EU  10/2011, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 21, and the EN71/3 European safety standard, which make them suitable for application in educational products, even including those dedicated to toddlers.  

Additionally, the compounds allow for a soft-touch feel to ensure end products are safe for children to handle.

Right edge with material advantage

The THERMOLAST® K FC/AD1/PS has good adhesion with polar thermoplastic such as ABS, PC, PC/ABS and PS, and can be processed through injection molding.

Available in natural colors, this series also imparts a soft and velvety surface feel, making them suitable for products such as interlocking alphabets or soft matt number puzzles, block numbers, toddler’s soft booklets, toy blocks, musical toy buttons, educational robots, pencil holder aids, earphone supports, drawing & writing table pen grips, and more.

Another compound series, the THERMOLAST® K FC/CS series, has excellent compression set, good adhesion to PP and PE; and has good mechanical properties and resilience.

These compounds can be processed through injection molding, as well as extrusion. Available in translucent colored materials that offer varied coloration, this TPE compounds series is a perfect fit for such applications like sealing for interactive tablets and electronic dictionary, earphones, and more.