Conti, Kordsa offer free licencing of rubber-adhesive technology

Hanover, Germany - Continental and Kordsa are to offer a jointly developed technology for bonding textile reinforcements with rubber compounds free to other parties, they announced 5 March.

The "sustainable" technology is said to enable bonding-activation of fibre-based reinforcing materials without conventionally used resorcinol-formaldehyde substances.

The development covers applications in the tire industry, as well as in the production of mechanical rubber goods like hoses and conveyor belts.

The adhesive-dip technology can be applied without changing process equipment, according to the two developers.

Continental intends to manufacture the first series-produced tires using this technology in 2019, said the joint statement..

The technology, it added, is being offered "to all other tire makers and the supplier industry as an open source solution under the brand name ‘Cokoon'."

Free licensing will be handled by the independent law firm Advinno, the partners pointed out.

In return, Continental and Kordsa expect licensees to make any patents related to enhancements of this technology available to the other partners free of charge.

This is to be done via a licensing pool, said the partners, which are inviting interested companies to request first lab samples now.

“We need to break new ground to master the upcoming challenges the future will hold,” said Dr. Andreas Topp, VP material and process development and industrialization, Continental Tires.

"The tire industry can send out a clear signal of its responsibility and innovative power" [with] this environmentally friendly open source technology,” added Devrim Özaydin, Kordsa's global technology director.