TPO Roofing Material
If you just keep yourself up-to-date with the market trends today, you will find that in roofing industry, you won’t just find the common metal and concrete roof available. Roofers have reinvented and redesigned the materials to create other alternatives like the plastic roofing which is a product of recycled materials and one of the latest and the newest in flat roofing available in the market today, Thermoplastic Polyolefin Roofing Membranes or the TPO.
The TPO roofing material is considered a “new generation” roofing membrane with combination of ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) rubber and PVC. The basic characteristics of a TPO membrane are taken from the mixture of the two flexible membranes EPDM and PVC. These characteristics include long-term resistance to changing weather, tear and puncture resistance, temperature change flexibility, and chemical resistance.
Originally used for automotive applications, TPO consists of at least 20% rubber and despite its being a single-ply membrane, it has the three basic components of a roofing system which are the structural deck, the thermal insulation barrier in the middle, and a waterproofing skin. Just like the other types of roofing materials, it can also be manufactured in a variety of colors, including black. Since TPO roofing material is just relatively new in the market, its lifespan cannot be determined yet.
TPO roofing material provides several benefits and advantages over other roofing materials. A few of these are the previously mentioned attributes which were taken from the combination of the two flexible membranes. TPO is known for its being heat-resistant and remains heat-wieldable throughout its entire lifespan. It contains UV protection to avoid it from fading. Aside from its resistance to heat, TPO is also made to endure changing weather and climactic conditions. During hot weather like summer, it keeps the interior of the building cool, making it an energy-saver.
A typical TPO roofing material has good insulation performance because of its polymer and rubber content so it does not conduct sound, electricity, or heat. This type of material is one of the most recyclable in the market today and is very much environment friendly. Scientifically speaking, since TPO is an alloy, the thermal reaction of molecules on the materials causes it not to separate as compared to other compositions that are melted together and ground up. A TPO sheet is relatively stiff; some may be soft and flexible, while most can feel more firm and rigid which can help a lot in the installation process. These attributes have attracted roofing contractors, engineers, architects, and even homeowners and is currently becoming a good choice for their roofing system. TPO can be best used for commercial applications, especially flat-roofed system.