Will Foaming TPU Become The Killer Of EVA Resin In The Field Of Shoe Materials?

In the past 20 years, one kind of material has triggered.

The revolution is EVA.

Through foaming EVA can make

The EVA shoe, which is sufficiently light, and has a certain elasticity, gives the sole a proper cushioning function.

The gentle running shoes are all the same using EVA as the sole material.

In this society, the real promotion of social progress must be technological innovation and technological revolution, and every field is no exception.

Let's take everyone's shoes as an example. There are various requirements for wearing shoes. There are three common demands: first, the shoe should be as light as possible; secondly, the soles should be durable enough; finally, the shoes must be comfortable enough.

In China, up to 450 thousand tons of shoe materials occupy 53% of the total market share in EVA.

China EVA application market

Due to the limitations of technology, in the past 10 years, the import dependence of China's EVA resin market has always been low. The number of Chinese manufacturing enterprises has been maintained in a single digit for a long time. Sinopec Yanshan, Sinopec Yangzi BASF and Formosa Plastics Group almost monopolized the market, and the price has certainly made these production enterprises very happy.

Now the killer is coming. It is TPU. Its full name is thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer. As we all know, polyurethane elastomers have three main advantages:

First, the formula has great plasticity, that is to say, by adjusting the formula, the product from the softest to the hardest part can be produced.

Second, it is especially wear-resistant, and its wear resistance is 3 times that of natural rubber.

Third, it can be made into products that are very pparent and of any color.

Before the emergence of polyurethane elastomers, we traditionally require that the soles with considerable wear resistance will be filled with natural rubber and filled with carbon black, that is, the soles are usually black. If you want to buy shoes with light colored or colored soles, their wear resistance will be greatly reduced, and they will not be pparent enough.

When the polyurethane elastomer is used as sole, it will get a more wearable sole than the black rubber base, and it can be pparent or coloured. But if you use the polyurethane elastomer to make the sole and the middle sole, the shoes will be very heavy and will not be comfortable to wear. In the past, because of the inability to make microcellular foaming, no one will choose polyurethane elastomers to make the middle sole. The usual method is to use foam EVA to make the middle sole, and then lay a thin TPU on the bottom, so that the shoes are light and wearable.

Why can't EVA make a big end? Because EVA is not wear resistant.

Now, a new foaming technology introduced by BASF, a world famous chemical company, has provided TPU with a comprehensive challenge to the application of EVA in shoe materials.

This foaming technology is also known as "popcorn" by the industry. It can make shoes as light as EVA. The key is to have very good resilience. That is to say, it has much more cushioning effect than EVA. Some people even make TPU into a big bottom, and reduce the weight of the bottom by chemical foaming, so that the three requirements of our shoes can be realized by the new TPU technology at the same time.

The main raw materials used for the production of TPU have been gradually decreasing in recent years. Some materials, such as BDO, have dropped significantly, thus making TPU more competitive.

We believe that in the next five years, the application of EVA in shoe materials may exceed seven. Chengdu will be replaced by the new TPU. Of course, this technology can also be successfully applied to the field of pipes, which is not good news for the EVA industry.

We know that breaking the monopoly of industry is one of the most important factors to promote social progress. Technological innovation and revolution are the best means to break the monopoly of industry.

We are very optimistic about the application of TPU in shoe materials and even more fields. For the EVA industry, the wolf is really coming.

Many enterprises feel this tremendous business opportunity. World-class enterprises such as Huisman, Lu Bo Run and BASF have come in. This opportunity will certainly not be let off by Wanhua chemical, Mei Rui Xin Hua and Hua Feng. The first merger and acquisition enterprise in Huachang Chemical Industry Transformation of the enterprising listed company has chosen the Suzhou Austin new material Co., Ltd., which specializes in producing TPU.

We believe that the TPU industry will become more and more lively and more interesting.