US chemicals giant Huntsman (The Woodlands, Texas; www.huntsman.com) has launched two new TPU grades for injection moulding at “Chinaplas” in Shanghai (www.chinaplasonline.com), which opened yesterday (see Plasteurope.com of 23.04.2014). In March, the company inaugurated a TPU production plant in the city – see Plasteurope.com of 13.03.2014.

The two injection moulding TPU grades have been developed for footwear applications to meet the needs of high quality shoe manufacturers producing performance soccer shoes and other cleated plates for sports. “Avalon” 95 ABU is a UV-protected, high performance, polyester-based TPU, offering improved long-term UV resistance and abrasion resistance, a fast cycle time and good flex performance, at low temperatures, the company said.

“Avalon” 95 AHT is a highly transparent, UV-protected, polyester-based TPU, designed for transparent outsoles. It can also be used to produce see-through components and windows to hold logos and other decorative elements in shoes, boots and trainers.

Stephane Peysson, global business development manager at Huntsman, said: “China is the biggest market for TPU and we have an exciting few years ahead of us. We have a new state-of-the art production plant at our disposal and a robust R&D programme in motion that will see new solutions for core markets coming through steadily.”