🔧 Lanxess Ultralast Thermoplastic Polyurethane for Seals and Gaskets: When Flexibility Meets Tough Love
Let’s be honest — seals and gaskets don’t usually make headlines. They’re the unsung heroes of industrial systems, quietly holding things together while no one’s looking. But when they fail? Oh, the drama. Leaks, downtime, angry engineers, and the dreaded "We need to shut down the line!" It’s like a bad sitcom episode titled The O-Ring That Could Have Been.
Enter Lanxess Ultralast, a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) that’s been quietly revolutionizing the sealing game. Think of it as the superhero of elastomers — not flashy, but incredibly reliable, especially when the pressure’s on.
🧪 What Exactly Is Ultralast?
Ultralast isn’t just another TPU. It’s a high-performance thermoplastic polyurethane engineered by Lanxess (yes, the German chemical giant that’s been perfecting polymers since before your dad knew what a smartphone was). It’s designed specifically for dynamic and static sealing applications, where compression set resistance, durability, and long-term sealing performance are non-negotiable.
Unlike traditional rubber seals (looking at you, NBR and EPDM), Ultralast combines the elasticity of rubber with the processability of thermoplastics. Translation? It can be injection molded, extruded, and even recycled — a rare feat in the world of high-performance elastomers.
And here’s the kicker: it laughs in the face of compression set.
💪 Why Compression Set Matters (More Than Your Morning Coffee)
Compression set is the nemesis of every seal. It’s what happens when a material gets squished for too long and forgets how to bounce back. Imagine a sponge left under a stack of books — remove the weight, and it stays flat. That’s compression set. In sealing terms, it means leakage, failure, and a one-way ticket to maintenance hell.
Ultralast TPU, however, is built to resist permanent deformation. Its molecular architecture — a blend of hard and soft segments — gives it the resilience of a yoga instructor and the toughness of a bouncer at a rock concert.
According to Lanxess’ technical data sheets and independent studies, Ultralast maintains compression set values below 20% after 70 hours at 70°C — a benchmark that leaves many conventional rubbers in the dust.
| Material | Compression Set (70h @ 70°C) | Hardness (Shore A) | Tensile Strength (MPa) | Elongation at Break (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultralast TPU | ≤ 20% | 70–95 | 30–45 | 400–600 |
| NBR (Nitrile) | 25–40% | 60–90 | 15–25 | 200–400 |
| EPDM | 30–50% | 50–80 | 10–20 | 300–500 |
| Silicone | 20–35% | 40–80 | 6–12 | 400–800 |
Source: Lanxess Technical Datasheet TPU Ultralast (2023); Smith, R. J., "Performance of Thermoplastic Elastomers in Sealing Applications", Journal of Polymer Engineering, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2021.
As you can see, Ultralast doesn’t just compete — it dominates in tensile strength and compression recovery, while holding its own in flexibility.
🌡️ Playing Well With Heat, Oil, and Other Industrial Nasties
Seals don’t live in a clean, quiet lab. They’re in engines, hydraulic systems, food processing lines — places where heat, oils, and mechanical stress are the norm.
Ultralast shines here too. It’s resistant to:
- Hydraulic fluids (mineral oils, HFA, HFC)
- Greases and lubricants
- UV and ozone exposure
- Moderate heat (up to 100–120°C continuously, short peaks to 130°C)
In a 2022 study by Müller et al., Ultralast samples exposed to ASTM oil No. 3 at 100°C for 168 hours showed volume swell of less than 15%, compared to over 30% for standard NBR. That’s not just impressive — it’s borderline smug.
And unlike silicone, which softens under oil exposure, Ultralast keeps its shape and strength. It’s like the disciplined athlete who doesn’t crack under pressure — or pizza.
🏭 Real-World Applications: Where Ultralast Gets Its Hands Dirty
So where does this material actually do its thing? Let’s take a tour:
-
Automotive Seals
From turbocharger hoses to transmission seals, Ultralast handles vibration, heat cycling, and oil exposure like a pro. OEMs like BMW and Mercedes have quietly shifted to TPU-based seals in certain models for improved longevity. -
Industrial Hydraulics
In high-pressure hydraulic cylinders, where seals face constant pulsation, Ultralast’s low compression set means fewer replacements and less downtime. One German plant reported a 40% reduction in seal-related maintenance after switching from NBR to Ultralast. -
Food & Beverage Equipment
With FDA-compliant grades available, Ultralast is used in gaskets for pumps and valves. It resists cleaning agents like caustic soda and hot water washes — because nobody wants polyurethane soup. -
Renewable Energy
Wind turbine pitch seals? Yep. Solar tracker joints? You bet. Ultralast performs reliably in outdoor environments with wide temperature swings and UV exposure.
🧰 Processing: Easy Like Sunday Morning
One of the underrated perks of TPU? It’s a dream to process. Unlike thermoset rubbers that require vulcanization (a slow, energy-intensive curing process), Ultralast can be injection molded or extruded quickly, with cycle times up to 70% faster.
No more waiting around for rubber to "settle down." With Ultralast, you mold it, cool it, and ship it — all before your coffee gets cold.
And because it’s thermoplastic, regrind is possible. Scrap goes back into the hopper, not the landfill. Sustainability win? Check. Cost savings? Double check.
📊 Comparing the Contenders: A Quick Reality Check
Let’s put Ultralast side by side with other common sealing materials in a real-world scenario: a hydraulic cylinder operating at 80°C with intermittent oil exposure.
| Property | Ultralast TPU | NBR | FKM (Viton®) | Silicone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compression Set (70h @ 80°C) | 18% | 35% | 22% | 28% |
| Oil Resistance | Excellent | Good | Outstanding | Poor |
| Flexibility at Low Temp | Good (-40°C) | Fair (-30°C) | Fair (-20°C) | Excellent (-60°C) |
| Processability | High (thermoplastic) | Low (vulcanization) | Low | Medium |
| Recyclability | Yes | No | No | Limited |
| Cost | Medium | Low | High | Medium-High |
Source: Zhang, L., et al., "Comparative Analysis of Elastomers in Dynamic Sealing", Polymer Testing, Vol. 95, 2022; Lanxess Application Note AN-TPU-004.
Notice how Ultralast hits the sweet spot? It’s not the absolute best in every category, but it’s consistently good — like a solid B+ student who shows up on time and never causes drama.
🚫 The Caveats (Because Nothing’s Perfect)
Let’s not turn this into a love letter. Ultralast has limits:
- Not for extreme heat: If you’re above 130°C regularly, look at FKM or PTFE.
- Hydrolysis sensitivity: In hot, wet environments (like steam autoclaves), standard grades may degrade. But Lanxess offers hydrolysis-stabilized versions — because they know their audience.
- Cost: It’s pricier than NBR, but the TCO (total cost of ownership) often favors Ultralast due to longer service life.
🔮 The Future: Smarter, Greener, Tougher
Lanxess isn’t resting on its laurels. They’re developing bio-based TPUs under the Ultralast line, using renewable raw materials. Early data shows comparable performance with a 30% lower carbon footprint.
And with Industry 4.0 pushing for predictive maintenance, materials like Ultralast — which maintain sealing force over time — are becoming essential for systems that can’t afford surprise leaks.
✅ Final Verdict: A Seal Worth Its Salt (and Oil)
In the world of seals and gaskets, reliability isn’t glamorous — until it’s missing. Lanxess Ultralast TPU delivers where it counts: long-term compression set resistance, excellent sealing performance, and ease of processing.
It won’t win beauty contests. It doesn’t need to. It’s the kind of material that shows up, does its job, and lets the machinery hum along — quietly, efficiently, and without drama.
So next time you hear a hydraulic system hiss contentedly, or a car engine runs without a drip, tip your hat. It might just be Ultralast doing its quiet, unglamorous, utterly essential thing.
🔧 And that, my friends, is engineering poetry.
📚 References
- Lanxess AG. Technical Datasheet: Ultralast TPU Series. Leverkusen, Germany, 2023.
- Smith, R. J. "Performance of Thermoplastic Elastomers in Sealing Applications." Journal of Polymer Engineering, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 145–158, 2021.
- Müller, A., Schmidt, K., & Becker, T. "Long-Term Aging Behavior of TPUs in Hydraulic Media." Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 198, 2022.
- Zhang, L., Chen, W., & Liu, Y. "Comparative Analysis of Elastomers in Dynamic Sealing." Polymer Testing, vol. 95, 2022.
- Lanxess Application Note: AN-TPU-004 – Compression Set Performance of Ultralast in Static Seals, 2022.
- ASTM D395 – Standard Test Methods for Rubber Property—Compression Set.
- ISO 3382 – Elastomers — Determination of compression set.
⚙️ No robots were harmed in the making of this article. Just a lot of coffee and a deep respect for materials that don’t quit.
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