INFUSE™

Putting the bounce back in your step

Whether you’re running a marathon or going for a neighborhood jog, your feet, joints, and muscles are taking a pounding. That can put a strain on your body and drain on your energy. That’s why we get excited about athletic shoe midsoles and INFUSE™ Olefin Block Copolymers (OBCs).

INFUSE™ OBCs were inspired by our customers and made possible by joining forces with experts both in and outside of Dow. The revolutionary material was created using INSITE™ Technology. These advanced copolymers permit unheard of performance and processing combinations and feature a unique block architecture that enables expansion into a wide range of innovative market applications.

Footwear is only one such application, but serves as an excellent example of the possibilities.

Recovery and compression set are critical elements in the performance of midsoles. If the foam midsole stays compressed and doesn’t “bounce back” sufficiently, a shoe’s ability to cushion the foot from the repeated stresses can be severely impaired. Midsoles made with INFUSE™ OBCs demonstrate strong recovery after several compression and release cycles.

In addition to footwear, the recovery characteristics of INFUSE™ OBC makes it uniquely suited for health and hygiene elastic films (think diapers) where multiple stretch and recovery cycles are typically encountered.

Ideal applications for INFUSE™ OBCs:

• Footwear
• Adhesives
• Housewares
• Health and Hygiene elastic films

Advantages of INFUSE™ OBCs:

• Improved balance of flexibility and high temperature resistance
• Faster set-up in processing due to higher crystallization temperature
• Better elastic recovery and compression set properties at both ambient and elevated temperatures
• Improved abrasion resistance

We can’t wait to hear your ideas.

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