Black Donuts set to launch new R&D facility

Pirkkala, Finland – Black Donuts Inc. has flagged the upcoming official launch – on 16 July – of its InTire Labs material research centre for the tire & rubber industry.

Located in Tampere, Finland, the unit will offer a new R&D platform for tire makers, rubber product producers and raw material suppliers worldwide, said the company’s 16 June release. 

"The tire industry urgently needs dedicated infrastructure to meet rising sustainability targets," according to Kai Hauvala, chief executive officer of Black Donuts.

“InTire Labs bridges that gap: providing a high-performance, independent testing environment," Hauvala added in the statement from the Finnish engineering consultancy.

A major focus, it said, will be on compounds made from renewable and recyclable raw materials that offer sustainable alternatives to petroleum-derived synthetic rubber compounds.

"InTire Labs is a major milestone in our mission to help the industry transition from fossil-based materials," said Ilkka Lehtoranta, head of tire and material development at Black Donuts.

In collaboration with Black Donuts' broader service portfolio, InTire Labs offerings will range from "compound development to performance & functionality testing to root cause analysis, reverse engineering, and regulatory validation," the release added.  

Capabilities include: Rubber compounding and recipe development; Mixing, analysis, and reverse engineering; Physical and chemical testing of tire materials; Pilot-scale mixing, milling, pressing, curing; R&D for bio-based, recycled, and next-gen materials.