Clever clogs Huntsman moulding soles with Avalon TPU for Brazilian jelly bean shoes

Huntsman has supplied a TPU to mould shoes in Brazil.

Brazilian footwear brand Boaonda has completed tests on Huntsman’s Avalon grade to injection-mould shoes. The grade joins a number of other materials that Boaonda uses to make shoes, for men and women.

Boaonda specialises in colourful flip flops, sandals and clogs. The Avalon TPU grade, which Boaonda sourced with help from Huntsman’s Brazilian TPU distributor Prisma Montelur, is durable and is ideal for all-plastic fashion shoes. It also offers excellent flowability – helping to give Boaonda greater flexibility in the design of its footwear.

Baonda needed a TPU to fill its moulds faster and demould quickly, helping to reduce cycle times and increase production output. It also wanted the material to be flexible but incredibly hardwearing. Huntsman’s Avalon TPU met all these requirements, offering clear technical advantages over other plastics, which are traditionally used to create fashion shoes via a one-shot process. Shoes made from TPU will typically last longer due to high levels of abrasion resistance, flex life, tensile strength and elongation. TPU also offers great aesthetic options, making it possible to easily combine matte and shiny finishes.

Luiz Romani, Director of Mould Matrizes, said: “The use of TPU in the footwear industry has changed since we first diversified and created Boaonda. Twenty years ago, TPUs were mainly employed in the creation of soccer plates and top pieces, or casual outsoles. Now, they are commonly found in mid sole as well as upper applications. Currently, we use Huntsman TPUs for outsole applications – predominantly in our menswear collection – but we were keen to qualify a new grade that could, in the future, form the basis of a full TPU shoe.”

Carlos Carvalho, Account Manager at Huntsman, said: “The last few years have seen a resurgence in the popularity of plastic footwear. Originally available in the 1980s, moulded shoes have become fashionable again with consumers embracing flip flops, jelly shoes and clogs as an easy-to-wear option. TPU is ideal for creating fully moulded shoes. Easily processed, the resulting material is flexible and durable while also providing the aesthetic and physical properties needed for fashion shoes that are worn daily.”

Boaonda is based in Sapiranga, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and employs more than 350 people.