In what fields are TPU films used?

Thermoplastic polyurethane TPU not only has the rubber properties of cross-linked polyurethane such as high strength and high wear resistance, but also has the thermoplastic properties of linear polymer materials, allowing its application to be expanded to the plastic field. Especially in recent decades, TPU has become one of the fastest-growing polymer materials. TPU film is an important application form of TPU materials. In recent years, with the development and progress of high technology, it has been increasingly widely used. So where are TPU films used?

1. High-end handbags and leather goods

At present, genuine leather, synthetic leather and cloth are the three commonly used materials for high-end handbags and leather goods. TPU film has excellent properties such as waterproof and breathable, yellowing resistance, hydrolysis resistance, high temperature resistance, etc. Its application in high-end handbags and leather goods is mainly to laminate with the above three materials to manufacture bag bodies, decorations, accessories, etc., making it have Better feel and physical properties.

Due to price reasons, TPU films have only been used as luggage materials in recent years, and are only used in mid-to-high-end luxury handbags and leather goods. However, the usage shows a rapid growth trend. As Europe, the United States and Japan impose increasingly strict regulations and restrictions on synthetic materials such as PU and PVC, synthetic materials such as PVC and PU will gradually be replaced by environmentally friendly TPU. It is expected that TPU films will be used in high-end handbags and leather goods in the next few years. The market size will maintain sustained and rapid growth.

2. Waterproof and breathable fabric

TPU film has strong adhesion and can be bonded with various materials to form high-performance composite materials. TPU blow molded waterproof and breathable film is widely used in clothing products, inflatable products, sporting goods, medical supplies and other fields. Waterproof and breathable composite fabrics are laminated with ordinary textile fabrics and high-tech waterproof and breathable films such as TPU films. They are high-tech products that integrate waterproofing, moisture permeability, windproofing and warmth. They are known as "breathable fabrics" ” or “humanity’s second skin.” It fundamentally solves the contradiction between waterproofing and moisture permeability, increases people's wearing comfort, improves product quality and added value, and occupies the mid-to-high-end market. It has become a major project in the development of textile products in various countries and is moving toward industrialization. The field keeps expanding. At present, my country's TPU waterproof and breathable films have been widely used in clothing and other fields.

3. Inflatable bladder

TPU is a new type of inflatable bladder material that has developed rapidly in recent years. It has obvious advantages compared with PVC and traditional rubber tape. TPU has unparalleled tensile resistance, tear resistance, wear resistance and low temperature flexural resistance of rubber or PVC. It also has good oil resistance, aging resistance and weather resistance. It is superior to PVC in terms of material softness and mechanical strength, and does not contain a large amount of easily volatile plasticizers like PVC, which will cause the material to harden and become brittle, and the mechanical properties will deteriorate.

However, due to the high price, TPU tape is currently mainly used to make high-end capsule materials that require higher material performance, such as inflatable mattresses, massage chair capsule materials, rubber boats and inflatable boat capsule materials for offshore operations, and lifting equipment. Airbag materials, capsule materials for military or civilian airships, sphere coatings and inner bladders, etc.

4. Shoe materials

TPU film upper materials usually consist of a three-layer structure: the surface layer is a PU layer, which is used to color the upper, print patterns, etc.; the middle layer is a TPU film, which is the main part of the fabric and determines the main performance characteristics of the upper; The bottom layer is a TPU hot melt adhesive film, which is mainly used as an adhesive to bond the TPU upper material to the shoe body. The TPU film upper material can use the excellent adhesive properties of its underlying TPU hot-melt adhesive film to directly fit and press the shoe body without sewing. Therefore, it is also called TPU sewing-free upper.

Due to the excellent performance of TPU film uppers and the processing method that does not require manual cutting, since 2009, mid-to-high-end sports shoe uppers have begun to use TPU film upper materials on a large scale to replace PU microfiber leather and PU space leather.