Cabot expands engineered elastomer composites line 

Boston, Massachusetts – Cabot Corp. has announced the launch a new elastomer composite for tires designed to deliver “significant performance” in terms of chip, heat and abrasion resistance.

Developed as part of its engineered elastomer composites (E2C) series, FX9390 can provide mining customers with flexibility for tire compound formulation within a wide design space, Cabot announced 12 Nov.

The US-based chemicals supplier launched the E2C family of solutions - with three Durability, Efficiency and Foundation performance series - in early 2020, to serve the tire industry. 

Marking the first Foundation series product, FX939 is claimed to offer performance improvements “in multiple dimensions” compared to conventional products.

It, Cabot said, enables "a large design space" when combined with other E2C products, while offering fewer mixing stages - requiring up to 50% less mixing energy.

The material is also claimed to shorten mixing cycles, requiring up to 50% less mixing time.

“FX9390 presents a high performance elastomer composite solution for OTR mining and retreading applications,” said David Reynolds, VP and general manager, Cabot Engineered Elastomer Composites. 

The product, he said, enables customers to “quickly develop and launch” new tires with performance improvements in multiple dimensions.

“We are particularly excited about the design freedom afforded to customers who combine this product with our Durability series to tailor compound performance for specific applications,” he added.

FX9390 is a pre-mixed material delivered in "highly friable bales", which Cabot said simplifies material handling and supports production flexibility. 

The elastomer can be integrated into a tire-maker’s current production line without additional capital investment.

Additionally, Cabot maintains that due to being pre-mixed, the elastomer allows customers to achieve higher performance levels with faster processing times.

Cabot’s E2C was named among ERJ’s top 10 Elastomers for Sustainability (E4S) announced earlier in August.