ERJ Round-up: Rubber Technology

ERJ staff report (TP)

Weekly round-up from the world of rubber technology – reports on Trelleborg ... DuPont ... ARTIS … Colmec … Semperit ...

Trelleborg has launched a nitrile rubber (NBR) hose for food processing. With bending force requirements reduced by 50 percent on a 50 millimeter inside diameter, the Alikler G2 hose offers improved maneuverability for enhanced performance, ease-of-use and safety. NBR hoses are suited to processing oily and fatty foods: maintaining pressure and flexibility over their operating temperature range and absorbing pressure impact. However, they are heavier than PVC alternatives and, traditionally, more difficult to manoeuvre - an important characteristic as hoses are disconnected and reconnected at connection points many times per day.

The DuPont Chemical Resistance Guide (CRG) — has recently been upgraded to be available both online and offline for desktops, tablets and smart phones. Based on DuPont’s knowledge of elastomer performance, the CRG tool can help seal specifiers choose the best elastomer for their application. Users choose from over 1,800 chemicals, and ratings are assigned to 20 elastomer families, while the CRG provides additional information on perfluoroelastomer parts and fluoroelastomers.

ARTIS updated its ‘Introduction to Rubber Technology Short Course’ to “reflect the needs of the UK rubber industry”. The course includes a mixture of lectures on key topics followed by hands on practical experience in mixing and testing to reinforce the topics studied. The course is now recognised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining for continuing professional development, ARTIS said the course is ideal for new starters and anybody requiring an understanding of basic rubber technology.

Colmec, the Italian manufacturer of extrusion lines for rubber and silicone compounds, will be exhibiting at India Rubber Expo & Tyre Show 2015 in New Delhi, India, 15-17 January 2015 and at Plast / Rubber 2015 in Milan, Italy, 5-9 May 2015.

Semperit AG Holding will build a new glove factory in Kamunting, Malaysia – its largest investment ever. €50 million will be spent from 2014 to 2016 at the plant, where Semperit has been operating six production facilities for medical and protective gloves since its acquisition of Latexx Partners Berhad in 2012. The first gloves are expected to leave the production lines starting mid-2015.

More to follow ...