The supply of extruded TPU sheets is developing rapidly, leading a new era of material application

The supply of extruded TPU sheets is developing rapidly, leading a new era of material application

With the rapid development of material science, extruded TPU sheets are opening a new era of material application with strong momentum due to their excellent performance and diversified applications. As a sheet made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) through a co-extrusion process, it not only retains the advantages of TPU such as high elasticity, wear resistance, and weather resistance, but also achieves complementary performance by compounding with other materials. It is widely used in industry, automobiles, electronics, medical and other fields, and has extremely broad development prospects.

1. Production capacity expansion and market expansion go hand in hand

As the market demand for extruded TPU sheets continues to rise, relevant companies around the world have accelerated the pace of production capacity expansion. Covestro's large-scale TPU factory in Zhuhai will have a production capacity of nearly 120,000 tons per year after completion. Its Asia-Pacific application development center in Guangzhou has also been put into operation, aiming to dig deeper into market demand and promote application innovation of TPU boards in various fields. The second TPU production unit of BASF's Zhanjiang integrated base project was successfully put into operation, becoming the world's largest single TPU production unit, greatly improving BASF's supply capabilities in the field of injection molding TPU. The domestic Wanhua Chemical Yantai Industrial Park project is building a TPU device in three phases, with a total production capacity of 210,000 tons/year. The new production line has the largest single-line production capacity in the world, further consolidating its position in the TPU industry.

Driven by the expansion of production capacity, the market size of extruded TPU sheets has expanded rapidly. According to predictions from authoritative institutions, the global TPU market size is expected to reach 21.578 billion yuan (RMB) by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.6% from 2024 to 2030. As the world's largest consumer of TPU, China accounts for more than 70% of the world's market capacity. It is expected that consumption will further increase to about 900,000 tons by 2026, and the market prospects are very promising.

2. Technological innovation leads to performance breakthroughs

Technological innovation is the core driving force for the sustainable development of extruded TPU sheets, opening up new paths for performance improvement and application expansion. In terms of production technology, the reactive extrusion process has gradually become popular, reducing TPU production energy consumption by 15% - 20%. The continuous production process jointly developed by BASF and Zhejiang University has achieved mass production. The single-line production capacity has been increased to 20,000 tons/year, which has greatly improved production efficiency and product quality stability.

In terms of material performance optimization, R&D personnel continue to overcome technical problems. Significant progress has been made in the research and development of highly transparent TPU sheets, with a light transmittance of ≥90%, which satisfies application scenarios that require extremely high material transparency such as electronic displays and optical instruments; hydrolysis-resistant TPU sheets have a long service life in humid environments through molecular structure optimization and additive improvements. Width extension, suitable for outdoor building materials, underwater equipment components, etc.; high-temperature-resistant TPU sheets have long-term use temperatures exceeding 120°C, which solves the problem of performance degradation of traditional materials in high-temperature environments and is widely used in automotive engine peripheral components, industrial high-temperature pipes and other fields.

3. Green environmental protection has become a new direction of development

Against the background of increasing global environmental awareness, green environmental protection has become an important direction for the development of extruded TPU sheets. Bio-based TPU boards replace some petroleum-based raw materials with plant-derived raw materials, reducing dependence on fossil resources and reducing carbon emissions. At present, the substitution rate of plant-derived raw materials has reached 30%, and TPU products with a bio-based content of more than 40% developed by some companies have passed international certification. For example, the new energy charging pile cable made of bio-based TPU demonstrated by BASF at Chinaplas 2024 has a bio-based content of up to 40%.

Important breakthroughs have also been made in recycling technology. The chemical recycling process developed by Covestro can increase the TPU recycling rate to more than 95%, and the gradual promotion of the circular economy model will reduce raw material costs by more than 30%. More and more companies are using recycled TPU materials to produce extrusion boards to achieve efficient use of resources and minimization of waste.

 4. Expansion of application fields stimulates new demands

Relying on its own advantages, supply-extruded TPU sheets continue to develop in traditional application fields while constantly exploring new application scenarios and stimulating new market demands. In the automotive industry, the rapid development of new energy vehicles has brought broad space for them. TPU sheets are used in automotive interior parts, such as seat coverings, dashboard decorations, etc., to improve interior texture and comfort; in terms of exterior parts, they are used in body trim strips, bumpers, etc. to enhance weather resistance and impact resistance; in key parts such as battery pack seals and high-voltage wire harness sheaths, TPU sheets' excellent insulation, chemical corrosion resistance and mechanical properties ensure the safe and stable operation of new energy vehicles. The amount of TPU used in new energy vehicles is 30% higher than that of traditional fuel vehicles.

In the field of electronics, electronic products are becoming lighter, thinner and more flexible. TPU sheets have broad application prospects in flexible display packaging, electronic equipment casings, keyboard protective films, etc. Its good flexibility, transparency and insulation provide excellent protection and performance improvement for electronic products. In the medical field, TPU's biocompatibility and processability have led to its continued expansion in medical devices, artificial organs, medical catheters, dressings, etc., with an average annual growth rate of more than 25%. Some companies have achieved import substitution of medical-grade TPU. In the emerging field of 3D printing, TPU materials can be used as consumables to print parts with complex shapes and special properties. They have shown unique advantages in medical orthotics, automobile parts manufacturing, etc., and the annual growth rate of application scale exceeds 40%.

The supply of extruded TPU sheets is in a golden period of development. Development trends in production capacity expansion, technological innovation, green environmental protection and application expansion are mutually reinforcing, and jointly promote it to occupy an increasingly important position in the global material market. In the future, with the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, extruded TPU sheets are expected to spawn more innovative applications and continue to inject new vitality into the development of various industries.