As you know, most of the OAD4X4 floor mats are made of TPE material, for this new material, many people may not know what it is and whether it is durable. Is it waterproof? Can it withstand the Australian heat? Through this blog, we hope to explain clearly what TPE is and how it differs from traditional rubber material.
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), sometimes referred to as thermoplastic rubbers (TPR), are a class of copolymers or a physical mix of polymers (usually a plastic and a rubber) that consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties.
Basically, you can understand that TPE material is a mixture of plastic and rubber. This gives TPE material the processing properties of plastics and the flexibility and durability of rubbers. Here’s a detailed look at TPE materials used in car mats:
Characteristics of TPE Material for Car Mats
- Flexibility: TPE can bend and flex without cracking or breaking, which makes it ideal for car mats that need to conform to the contours of a vehicle's floor.Also making transport easier, the mats can be folded and placed in a box, although this may cause a slight deformation of them for a short period of time, but due to the flexibility, it will soon return to its original shape after being taken out.
- Durability: These materials are resistant to wear and tear, which is essential for items subjected to constant foot traffic and heavy use.Therefore, TPE material is very suitable for making car floor mats.
- Resistance: TPE is resistant to chemicals, oils, and extreme temperatures, ensuring the mats remain functional in various conditions.In summer, the temperature inside the car can be as high as dozens of degrees, poor quality mats will release harmful gases, long-term inhalation of these harmful gases, not only will cause damage to health, but also prone to cause motion sickness, to the body and driving safety hazards.
- Non-toxic and Recyclable: TPEs are often designed to be non-toxic and can be recycled, making them an environmentally friendly choice.
Manufacturing Process
The manufacturing process for TPE car mats typically involves:
- Preparation: Prepare TPE materials that meet the production standards in advance.
- Blister Moldingor Injection Molding: Forming the mats by melting the TPE compound and shaping it using molds or dies. Most of the OAD4X4 floor mats are currently made using the blister molding process.
- Finishing: Addingunique textures, trimming excess material, and performing quality checks.
Advantages in Automotive Use
- Custom Fit: Due to the flexibility of the TPE material, TPE mats can be precisely molded to fit specific vehicle models, accurately contouring the original floor to ensure a precise fit as well as providing maximum overall protection.
- Easy to Clean: The smoothand water-proof surface makes TPE mats easy to clean and maintain, just take out and hose off. A set of foot mats can be used for many years.
- Comfort: The flexible nature provides a comfortable surface for feet.
- Safety: Non-slip properties ensure the mats stay in placewithout moving front or back, providing safety for both drivers and passengers.
Overall, TPE car mats offer a versatile and durable solution for protecting vehicle interiors while providing comfort and ease of maintenance. But we will find when choosing car mats, in addition to TPE mats, there are a lot of rubber car mats that usually have a lower price, TPE and rubber floor mats have a lot of similar characteristics, for example, both of them are flexibility, durability, temperature resistance, and easy to clean. So...
What is the difference between TPE mats and Rubber mats? How to choose when selecting car mats?
Compared to rubber, TPE has two very obvious advantages. One is odorless, unlike rubber, TPE is non-toxic and has no smell at all. You don't have to worry about the pungent odour affecting the air quality in your car after you've bought it. The other one is is environmental friendly, TPE material can be recycled, making it an eco-friendly choice. But once the rubber mats vulcanized, they cannot be melted down and recycled easily, which is why more and more people are choosing TPE mats.
I believe that by reading this, you fully understand what TPE material is and have a basic understanding of the difference between TPE and rubber mats, I hope these can help you when choosing car mats.
Introducing OAD4X4 Luxury Floor Mats
(Representative image from OAD mats for Porsche Cayenee)
In order to provide maximum protection for your vehicle, OAD4X4‘s all weather floor liners are specially made to cover extra, door sills/under-seat area/food rest pedal on driver side/high side coverage/..., besides, all of our car mats are come with a warranty, if interested, you are more than welcome to click here to find out more.
