There are roughly two kinds of materials used for soft bait, one is soft PVC and the other is TPE.

There are two processing methods, one is to use an injection molding machine to process, that is, the raw materials are plasticized, then injected into the mold, and then cooled to form (usually one mold with multiple cavities to improve production efficiency). The other is a self-made DIY mold. The raw materials are heated and melted into a gel, then injected into the self-made mold, and finally cooled and solidified.

The injection molding machine has high processing efficiency and produces fewer defective products, which is suitable for professional soft bait manufacturers with large supply volumes. For general lure fishing enthusiasts or self-employed individuals who have just started to engage in the production and operation of lure lures, self-made DIY molds can be used for glue filling processing, and the initial investment cost is not high.

PVC soft lures are mostly processed by DIY mold melt glue and glue filling. According to the hardness required by the soft bait, first, mix the PVC powder and plasticizer into a paste in a certain proportion, and then use some conventional equipment (such as an electric heating pot, microwave oven, etc.) to heat to 100~120 degrees, and then spray the melt Put it into the DIY mold, cool and solidify to make the finished product.

Most of the TPE soft lures are processed by injection molding machines. Because the melting temperature of TPE material is relatively high, generally 160~200 degrees, and the fluidity is worse than that of soft PVC. TPE soft bait, such as using DIY mold processing. The molding efficiency is lower, and the difficulty will be greater.

Material composition analysis:

The main components of TPE are SEBS + white oil; the main components of soft PVC are generally PVC powder + o-phthalic plasticizer. From the perspective of environmental protection, TPE will be better than PVC.

Material property analysis:

TPE has better tensile properties, light-specific gravity (0.84~0.86), and floats. Soft PVC is difficult to stretch, has a large specific gravity (1.05~1.08), and sinks in water.

Soft and Hardness: All can provide the required hardness (0~10A, or 180~160P) by adjusting the plasticizer ratio.

How do distinguish between TPE and soft PVC?
1. Burning
If the soft PVC does not burn completely, there are obvious black carbides, the burning flame has a green root; when the TPE burns, the flame is yellow.
2. Pulling
By pulling the soft lure, the TPE material can be stretched to more than 10 times the original length (without breaking), and the soft PVC stretches less than twice the original length. If it is forcibly stretched, it will break.
Combustion of soft PVC releases dioxin, a more toxic substance, while TPE combustion is safer. PVC is not as environmentally safe as TPE. At present, most simulated bait is produced with TPE as the material.