Sarlink TPV is a thermoplastic vulcanizate engineered for demanding automotive and other transportation applications. As a TPV, Sarlink material combines the elastic performance of vulcanized rubber with the processing efficiency of thermoplastics. What differentiates Sarlink TPV is its optimized rubber phase morphology, delivering consistent mechanical properties, durability, and process stability. Sarlink TPV is widely used to replace thermoset rubbers such as EPDM, offering rubber-like elasticity, lightweighting potential, efficient processing, and recyclability.
What Is Sarlink® TPV?
Sarlink® TPV in Automotive Applications
Automotive and other transportation environments place extreme demands on materials, including exposure to heat, UV, weathering, oils, fuels, and other chemicals. Automotive TPV materials must balance long-term durability, elastic recovery, and dimensional stability with manufacturing efficiency. Sarlink TPV is specifically designed to meet these requirements across a wide range of automotive applications including seals, interior, exterior, and other under-the-hood components.
Sarlink TPVs are a globally recognized brand trusted by major automakers (OEMs), steadily replacing EPDM rubber due to advancements in processing, design flexibility, and weight reduction. As the premier choice for long-lasting, flexible automotive parts, Sarlink TPVs offer:
- Exceptional Elasticity: Ensuring optimal performance and part integrity.
- Unmatched Durability: Resistant to UV, ozone, chemicals, and fluids for long-term reliability.
- Lightweight Design: Contributing to improved efficiency.
Beyond the Material: Teknor Apex Expertise
Teknor Apex doesn't just supply high-performance materials– we're your partner in success. Our deep understanding of polymers combined with dedicated application development support empowers our customers to manufacture high-performance automotive components efficiently and cost-effectively.
Key Benefits of Sarlink® TPVs
Key Benefits of Sarlink TPVs:
- Excellent Elastic Properties
- UV and Ozone Resistance
- Chemical and Fluid Resistance
- Superior Long-Term Performance
- Adhesion to Polyolefins and Other TPEs
Sarlink® TPV Product Portfolio & Series
Automotive & Transportation Applications of Sarlink® TPV
Processing & Manufacturing Capabilities
Sarlink TPV is available in free-flowing pellets and can be processed using conventional thermoplastic methods, enabling scalable, high-volume automotive manufacturing, including injection molding, extrusion, co-extrusion, and blow molding processes. Sarlink TPV also offers strong adhesion to polyolefins, supporting multi-material automotive designs without secondary bonding steps. Compared to EPDM rubber, Sarlink TPV provides greater design flexibility, shorter cycle times, and tooling advantages while maintaining end-use performance.
Sustainability & Recyclability
Sarlink TPV is classified as a thermoplastic elastomer, and is typically lighter weight than traditional rubber solutions. Because Sarlink TPV can be reprocessed, production scrap and post-industrial material can be recycled, enabling material recovery. This recyclability is a key advantage over EPDM and other crosslinked elastomers used in automotive applications, supporting automotive sustainability goals while maintaining performance.
Technical Resources
Frequently Asked Questions:
Sarlink TPV is a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) designed for automotive and transportation parts that need rubber-like elasticity with thermoplastic processing. TPVs are typically made from dynamically vulcanized rubber particles dispersed in a thermoplastic matrix, enabling efficient molding/extrusion and consistent performance.
EPDM is a thermoset rubber that requires cross-linking during processing and cannot be remelted, while Sarlink TPV is a thermoplastic elastomer that can be processed on standard thermoplastic equipment, skipping the vulcanization step. Sarlink TPV is commonly chosen for design flexibility, multi-material integration (e.g., co-molding/co-extrusion), and manufacturing efficiency, while still meeting durability needs, like in automotive seals.
Sarlink TPV is widely used in automotive sealing system applications such as glass-run channels, window encapsulation and exterior trim, door/trunk/liftgate weatherseals, roofline/body-side moldings, boots/bellows/dust covers, and other seals where long-term durability and elastic recovery matter.
Yes—Sarlink TPV is used in EV platforms in many of the same sealing, trim, and encapsulation applications as internal combustion engine vehicles, where resistance to weathering, temperature cycling, and automotive fluids is required. In addition, selected Sarlink TPV grades are increasingly used in EV thermal management and coolant hose applications as a thermoplastic alternative to EPDM rubber, supporting lightweighting, design flexibility, and thermoplastic processing. As with any material, grade selection depends on the specific EV requirement set— including temperature, chemical exposure, pressure, VOC/fogging targets, and processing method— so application-specific validation testing is recommended.
Sarlink TPV is a thermoplastic material, so it can typically be reprocessed (e.g., regrind of production scrap) and supports recycling pathways that are not available to thermoset rubbers like EPDM. Teknor Apex also offers Sarlink TPV options with recycled content to support OEM sustainability goals.