Difference between reclaimed TPU and new TPU material

Quality of a product is influenced by many factors. One important point is the raw material. After all, if you have no hand you can’t make a fist. As a manufacturer of TPU tape and TPU coated webbing, we insist on using new TPU raw material for production to guarantee the product’s quality. But some manufacturers might use reclaimed TPU material to decrease production cost. Here we list some tips to help distinguishing TPU raw material in these two quality.

1. Transparency

Good quality TPU material has high diaphaneity, while reclaimed TPU has lower transparency because of the impurities in it.

2. Smooth

Good quality TPU material should be smooth when you touch or observe the material particle. On contrast, reclaimed TPU will have rough surface. Besides, if you cut the particle, you will find out that even the slice is rough and matte.

3. Color

Good quality TPU material should have an even color. If you can see different colors in one batch of material, the quality should be considered.

4. Smell

Burn the TPU material. When good quality pure TPU material are burned, we won’t smell any niff. But reclaimed TPU will because of the impurities. Besides smell, black smoke and fusant come into being soon when the bad quality TPU is burned.

5. Hardness

Generally, in the same labeled hardness, new TPU raw material is harder than reclaimed TPU material. That also refers to impurities.

Compared with new TPU raw material, reclaimed TPU material isn’t pure enough. So products produced by reclaimed TPU will have shorter service time and worse performance.