Arkema introduces new
Pebax® Rnew for free-ride ski
boots
Introduction
Arkema goes beyond the limits of thermoplastic elastomers, introducing Pebax® RNew 80R53,
a new rigid bio-based Pebax®, opening up the scope of ski boot design combining light
weight, outstanding responsiveness to skiers’ movements, and creativity in decoration.
Pebax® Rnew 80R53 is 50% more rigid than existing Pebax® grades, already well-known for
several years as reference materials for both alpine touring and cross-country ski boots.
It retains the key Pebax® characteristics and environmental qualities that appeal to
sportsmen and women: produced from renewable raw materials with more than 90% biobased content, lightweight, renowned long-term UV resistance and offering great creativity
for novel designs, it maintains perfect quality and performance under extreme cold
conditions.
Description
The Sport market has always been a leader in the technical innovations or in the global trend
evolutions. One of the latest trends is to develop new product ranges with an ecoconception approach including of course bio-based materials. To answer to this market trend,
Arkema has recently developed bio-based polyamide block based elastomers suitable for ski
boots application. The new Pebax® 80R53 meets all the technical requirements including
toughness, high impact resistance at low temperatures, lightness, ... combined with a high
content of bio-based carbon.
Based on the castor oil chemistry, this new Pebax® Rnew 80R53 is produced from renewable
raw materials with more than 90% bio-based content. This new grade allows us to reduce
significantly climat change or global warming impact by at least 50% versus standard TPU
elastomer or by at least 20% versus current standard Pebax® grades, without any
compromise on performances
Comparatively to the standard Pebax® grades based on petroleum derivatives, these new
Pebax® Rnew based on castor oil chemistry shows similar characteristics such as lightweight
density (d ~ 1.03), excellent UV ageing and an easy processing abilities but significantly
improved mechanical performances such as:
- Better cold impact resistance
- Better flexibility at low temperature
- Better thermal resistance
- Better flex fatigue resistance
Furthermore compared to standard Pebax® grades, the new Pebax® Rnew 80R53 shows
higher rigidity (rigidity x 3 compared to Pebax® 6333) allowing to designers to decrease parts
thicknesses while keeping Pebax® key features. 50% thickness decrease is possible while
keeping outsole/insole rigidity inducing substantial weight saving and cost optimization (vs
TPU as well).
Today, major companies in free ride ski boots have tested with success the new bio-based
Pebax® Rnew grade for their new product line as this new Pebax® grade shows the best
compromise in performances, combining impact resistance, bio-sourcing and higher stiffness
than standard Pebax®.