Cancarb Thermax® N990CG in NBR Milking Liners

Cancarb Limited has published a Technical Bulletin about the benefits of using Thermax^® N990CG in milking liners made of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). Thermax^® N990CG is an FDA-approved thermal carbon black that’s designed to improve the properties and performance of rubber that’s used repeatedly with food items.

NBR milking liners are molded rubber components used in automated milking machines. They fit directly inside the shell of the cluster interface between the cow and the milking equipment. NBR’s resistance to anhydrous milk fat prevents the rubber from swelling, distorting, and degrading during contact with raw milk.

Thermax^® N990CG has an FDA Food Contact Notification (FCN No. 2420) that allows its use in repeated food/dairy exposure. This specialized material has low levels of PAH, a category of chemical compounds that are potentially carcinogenic. Cancarb is the first manufacturer to develop a low-PAH thermal carbon black.

As the Technical Bulletin from Cancarb explains, replacing the silica filler in NBR formulations with Thermax^® N990CG offer both technical and economic benefits.

ACE Laboratories in Ravenna, Ohio, performed independent testing for Cancarb. To evaluate performance, silica (HiSil 233) was incrementally replaced by Thermax^® N990CG at a 3:1 substitution ratio to maintain a target hardness (40 Shore A) across 5 test compounds.

Cancarb’s Technical Bulletin provides the test results, including rheology and processing, hardness and tensile properties, fluid aging resistance, and compression set.

To receive the full Technical Bulletin in PDF format, visit this page on Cancarb’s website, choose the Request button, and complete the online form.

RDAbbott represents Cancarb products in the United States and Canada and is the exclusive distributor for Thermax^® brand medium thermal carbon black in Mexico. For more information about these functional fillers, contact RDAbbott today.