With advancements being made in the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) sector, the material is replacing traditional elastomers and thermoplastics in a variety of applications in the furniture industry. KRAIBURG TPE offers TPE compounds that support applications in the furniture & fixtures industry and meet requirements for style, comfort, safety, performance and functionality.

In the ever-evolving furniture industry, the market is striving to innovate to present ergonomically designed furniture that will appeal to respective individuals and their lifestyles.

TPE appeal in furniture & fixtures
KRAIBURG TPE, a global TPE manufacturer of a wide range of thermoplastic elastomer products and custom-engineered TPE solutions, offers TPEs that have the properties to accommodate to designers’ and manufacturers’ needs to achieve the best match between product specification and choice of material for the furniture & fixtures industry.

KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds can be applied on door dampers for cabinet and drawer closers, which help in closing a door in a controlled manner. TPEs can also be used in the castor wheels on kitchen trolleys, movable shelves and cabinets, or possibly, on wheels for wheelchairs. KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds meet the requirements for these applications, thanks to their excellent abrasion resistance and high degree of scratch resistance.

Creating style and aesthetics
Since creativity is one of the many important criteria for designing furniture, KRAIBURG TPE’s material helps designers and manufacturers to enhance their furniture designs and, hence, increase the aesthetics, style, performance and functionality of finished products.

KRAIBURG TPE offers materials that render smooth and silky surfaces and very good chemical resistance against sebum and sunscreen, which is especially useful for furniture that is in high contact with the human skin. Thus, for furniture parts like chair armrests and leg rests, it is important to have good chemical resistance against sebum.  

Another advantage is the good UV and weathering resistance. With these properties, TPEs can be applied on semi-outdoor and outdoor furniture & fixtures that are exposed to high UV and extreme weather elements.

THERMOLAST® K the building block for furniture & fixtures
KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST® K EX/UV series can be applied on edge guards, furniture profiles as well as door and window seals for outdoor applications. This series is the material solution and choice for applications requiring high UV and weather resistance.

Furthermore, selected compounds of this EX/UV series come with RAL GZ 716 approval, which meet the quality and test requirements for plastic window profile systems, and, CSTB QB36 approval. These compounds are also recyclable and resistant to acrylic paints. The series also offers excellent adhesion to polypropylene (PP) and can be used as an alternative to EPDM and PVC-P polymers.  

With its excellent adhesion to polyamide, KRAIBURG TPE’s THERMOLAST® K AD/PA series adds value to furniture in terms of style and functionality for furniture parts, with design elements. Because of its soft touch feel, this series of TPEs can also be applied on handles for indoor or outdoor furniture, like recliner chairs. This series has excellent adhesion and can adhere to PA6 and PA6.6, containing up to 50% glass fiber. In addition, this series has high UV resistance and is UL94 HB listed for the flammability test.

Since colors play an important role in the furniture industry, KRAIBURG TPE offers comprehensive color solutions that enable customization of compound colorization, according to a desired color, and in the most economical and optimal way possible; at the same time assuring the customer a globally consistent color quality.