New rubber product for footwear

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 36

New rubber product for footwear

Shell Chemicals thinks it has solved the problem of uncomfortable, sweaty feet. The company has pro-, duced Cariflex TR, a thermoplastic, synthetic rubber used for shoe soles. The product is only beginning to be commercially used in New Zealand and members from Shell Chemicals New Zealand, Ltd, were keen to describe its advantages at an exhibition held at the White i Heron Lodge yesterday. “Its combination of properties can’t be matched by any other soling material,” said a company manager (Mr A. D. Gray). He added that the product was very versatile, with the style and use of the shoe determining the shape and durability of the sole. Casual shoes, heavy work boots and ski boots, sports shoes and children’s footwear could all be soled with the new material.

Although children’s shoes] were not yet made with this; sole in New Zealand, they 1 would become available;

when the industry became more established. “This type of sole is very good for children’s shoes because it has the best grip and helpsprevent the child slipping over,” said Mr Gray.

Its producers boast that it combines grip with flexibility at temperatures as low as -40 deg. C, is lightweight and has very good wear properties. Its resilience. combined with high surface friction, ensures wearer comfort and walking safety, says the publicity sheet.

The thermoplastic rubber! can be produced in any col-; our. Mr Gray said that the! only area for which he did not recommend the sole was) highly-intensive sports, such I as squash and basketball. | “It grips so well that the I heat builds up and melts the rubber after a lot of use.” The material is a base product which is further: refined to make the com-j pound Kraton, which manufacturers use to mould the sole of the shoe. i The material does not; tteed to be vulcanised and'

| can be produced in the same ; way as plastic. Automatic ' processing equipment makes i push-button production possible. “It is much cheaper to process and we can just feed the scraps in at the beginning again and there is less wastage,” said Mr Gray. A footwear research officer (Mr A. Harvey), who spoke at the exhibition, said that the material was hard wearing and “would seem to have good possibilities.” “It compares very favourably with what we have seen,” he said.