TEPEO 2®

Perfect Grain Stability on Curved Surfaces with Very Small Radius

The new vinyl sheeting TEPEO 2® gives vehicle interiors a charm of their own

Up to now, slush-molded skins have had to be used to obtain an immaculate finish on smoothly structured instrument panel and door trim surfaces. Benecke-Kaliko now has a genuine alternative to this technology – TEPEO 2®. This foil is characterized by a homogeneous grain pattern and a very fine reproduction of the grain structure detail. This gives the vehicle interior a touch of elegance.

The foil can be easily processed using all common commercial methods and precisely conforms nicely to the specific tool contours. It also provides the user with a number of other benefits, such as the precise determination of surface properties and the replication of all available grain patterns.

Optimum Resistance to Grain Distortion During Deep Drawing

In deep drawing foil is stretched three-dimensionally, whereby it assumes the form of the deep drawing tool. As a result of the process, the foil tends to display a definite orientation. At the edges and in small radii in particular, grain distortion and a partial flattening can occur, resulting in a loss in the fineness of the grain structure. First-generation TEPEO vinyl sheeting had already succeeded in reducing this tendency to a lower level than for other material concepts.

The new compact foil TEPEO 2®, with its enhanced material properties, now provides an even greater grain stability and thus a very uniform grain pattern after processing. The graining has a uniform, finely detailed structure and approx. The same depth all over – even if the foil is being stretched over a 90° angle. The high resistance to grain distortion makes it possible to reduce foil thickness, with the consequence that the outer radii of the deep drawn foil are smaller and more pronounced.

The high level of grain stability and hence the uniformity of the grain finish after deep drawing is achieved by means of special polymers and a cross-linking process used uniquely in the Benecke-Kaliko foil manufacturing process. The cross-linking freezes the grain structure on the surface of the foil so that it remains stable even during and after deep drawing.

Short Development Times – for Creative Solutions

Another important benefit is that development times are shorter for TEPEO 2® vinyl sheeting than for any of the slush skin processes. With this product, Benecke-Kaliko supplies the automotive manufacturers with a material that allows them to respond quickly and flexibly to increasingly short development times, to the diversification in their vehicle and product lines and to shorter model cycles. And it does so at a lower cost for an essential constituent.

Benecke-Kaliko creates surface designs in cooperation with automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. In this way an individual interior atmosphere is realized in keeping with the respective vehicle and demand.

The focus in the design phase is on the following points:

• Pleasant, adaptable haptic quality
• Possibility of producing any colour desired
• Possibility of replicating various grain patterns

In product development processes, TEPEO 2® is then tailored to the customer’s wishes with respect to:

• Material properties
• Component design
• Processing methods

Easy-to-process Material

TEPEO 2® allows the automotive supplier to manufacture high-quality components for vehicle interiors using a simple processing method. Series trials held jointly with automotive manufacturers and suppliers have impressively confirmed this. TEPEO 2® has a wider processing window than normal TEPEO foil. The processing temperature has been extended from 15ºC to 35ºC. This makes machine settings easier and guarantees constant manufacturing conditions. The end result is a high-quality product. There is no need for any extra investment in processing units.

TEPEO 2® is suitable for all the most widely-used commercial processing methods, e.g.

• Deep drawing followed by foam molding
• Back molding
• Compression laminating
• Adhesive laminating

At the request of the customer, Benecke-Kaliko supplies TEPEO 2® foils in sizes best suited to the customer’s process.

Good Material and Performance Features

The 0.7 – 1.5-mm-thick vinyl sheetings are thermoplastic elastomers on an olefin basis and have the following properties: :

• Halogen-free in compliance with the requirements of the automotive industry
• Low emissions (no plasticizers)
• Good aging resistance
• Great low-temperature flexibility (important for invisible airbag function)
• Low-emission under thermal recycling
• High product stability under thermal stressing