DSM Elastomers (Heerlen / The Netherlands; www.dsm.com) has opened a new thermoplastic vulcanisate (TPV) production plant in Genk / Belgium, doubling its global TPV production capacity.

David Huizing, president of DSM’s TPV subsidiary Sarlink, says demand for Sarlink TPV is growing faster than the TPV market, which is growing at rates above GDP growth. The current economic downturn has not changed Sarlink’s underlying outlook, he notes.

TPV is produced by blending large quantities of EPDM rubber into a small continuous phase of plastic, at the same time chemically cross-linking the rubber phase and controlling the morphology. The result, says DSM, is a versatile product that has rubber properties yet can be processed like a plastic.

The product therefore allows plastics converters to enter the traditional business area of rubber processors, the company adds.