DSM Engineering Plastics (www.dsmep.com) introduces a new grade of Arnitel, the company's range of copolyester thermoplastic elastomers (TPE-Es), for use in constant velocity joint (CVJ) boots. The new grade, Arnitel EB464, shows excellent low-temperature fatigue behavior at -45 °C, long-term abrasion resistance, and long-term, high-heat grease resistance of up to 100 °C. In cars with front-sheel drive, CVJ boots retain the joint grease but discard the mud, water and salt. TPE-Es are increasingly replacing thermoset rubbers in both outboard (wheel) and inboard (engine/transmission) CVJ boots. TPE-Es offer several advantages over chloroprene (Cr) rubbers, such as: up to 50% lighter with 90% shorter cycle times; recyclable, using, for example, 30% recycled material, which will result in lower boot prices; better product consistency produces a higher quality and longer lifetime (100,000-300,000 kilometers); lower centrifugal expansion, particularly at high speeds, results in better boot performance with downsized design (i.e. thinner wall thickness; less maintenance with lower deformation and better thermal, low-temperature, and abrasion resistance means lower reject levels.