Fortrex™

fortrex chemistry platform

Fortrex™, Cooper Standard's proprietary low-density elastomer based on our unique chemistry platform, is a lightweight thermosetting elastomer. The elastomer has low hysteresis loss (high elasticity) offers improvements in quality, durability, weight savings, aesthetics and performance over competitive material solutions.

Fortrex™ is inherently colorless and stable against UV exposure and most chemicals. This highly tunable thermosetting material – which processes like a thermoplastic – has remarkably low carbon footprint and great sustainability.

Key Material Attributes

Fortrex™ offers a wide spectrum of performance properties with an environmentally friendly footprint.

Performance Properties

Excellent compression set characteristics
Superior thermal stability due to higher chemical crosslinking
Improved Resilience and energy return
High Elasticity due to low hysteresis
Excellent chemical resistance

Superior Aesthetics

Best-in-class Weathering Performance
Broad color match capabilities
Non-blooming
Improved abrasion resistance

Environmental Attributes

Significantly Lighter Weight
- 30% Mass Reduction from EPDM
- 10% Mass Reduction from TPV
Low VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compound)
No nitrosamine
Plasticizer free
An Advantaged Carbon Footprint
- Up to a 53% reduction vs. EPDM
- Up to 22% reduction vs. TPV

Awards and Recognition

The Fortrex materials platform has been recognized for its game-changing impact. The materials innovation has won an Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Award – often referred to as the "Academy Award for Innovation" in the automotive industry – in 2018, was a finalist for the SPE (Society of Plastics Engineers) award, won the General Motors' Overdrive Award in the category of Sustainability in 2021 and most recently received a Top Product of the Year Award in the Environment + Energy Leader Awards program that recognize excellence in products and services implemented by companies that improved environmental or energy management and increased the bottom line.

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