What’s New

Alpha Technologies is sponsoring an interactive quiz through Rubber News about rubber raw materials. This short seven-question quiz is available through mid-July and prompts participants to answer questions about processing, polymerization, and testing. All quiz takers will receive a free digital copy of “6 Test Methods to Reduce Raw Material Variation,” an e-book from Alpha Technologies. There will also be a drawing for a Grand Prize and Second Prize during the week of July 15, 2024.

TLARGI will host its annual GLTPC Undergraduate Scholarship Golf Tournament on Monday, September 9, 2024, from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (PT) at the Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills, California.

Join us August 27 – 30 in Barberton, Ohio, for “Manufacturing with Silicone Rubber,” a comprehensive workshop hosted by RDAbbott from a fabricator’s point-of-view. Attendees of this four-day workshop will learn practical techniques, testing methods, and insights, plus equipment troubleshooting tips for processing silicone rubber from industry professionals through a combination of classroom instruction and interactive workshops.

Are you interested in the latest industry trends and advancements in castable urethane? Sign-up today to attend this free webinar all about Parker Lord’s Chemlok® 701 castable urethane adhesives.

RDAbbott demonstrated its material characterization and data mapping expertise at NPE 2024 and is offering these same capabilities to customers. RDAbbott’s research team characterized liquid silicone rubber (LSR) and provided multi-point data to Moldex3D, which then used its computer-aided engineering software to produce flow predictions and cavity fill simulations. Virtual molding simulations can save companies considerable time and money but require robust and reliable data sets, which can be challenging with LSRs.

Join Parker Lord on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (ET) for a free training about its Chemlok® rubber-to-substrate adhesives. This virtual training will consist of two, one-hour pre-recorded sessions followed by a live question-and-answer session. Sign up to learn about substrate adhesive preparation, and application, coated part handling, molding best practices, and troubleshooting.

On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (ET), RDAbbott is hosting a free technical seminar at our Barberton, Ohio, facility featuring Chemlok® rubber-to-substrate adhesives from Parker Lord. During this in-person event, Parker Lord Application Engineer Brady Hultman will review the rubber-to-substrate bonding process from start to finish. This review will include proper substrate preparation, adhesive preparation and application techniques, coated part handling, and molding best practices. The training will then transition into a troubleshooting workshop where failed parts are studied for bond failures and preventative actions. In addition, RDAbbott’s East Coast Sales Manager Jason Huff will provide a brief overview of the latest product developments from Parker Lord.

Optical silicones provide long-term stability, material flexibility, and proven processing performance. Due to their high-temperature properties, luminous flux, and resistance to weathering, these advanced silicone rubber materials are well-suited for a variety of LED lighting applications. By understanding the material performance needs in these and other lighting applications, Dow continues to expand its portfolio of moldable optical silicones and is developing innovative technologies, such as clear extrudable silicone rubber. In this webinar recording, three presenters from Dow describe innovative applications for optical silicones in both general and automotive LED lighting.

Cancarb Limited has published a Tensile Strength Distribution Technical Bulletin that shows how formulating nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) with Thermax® N990 improves dispersion quality and supports potential cost reductions. The study compared nine materials, including two Thermax® medium thermal carbon black materials, and used tensile strength distribution instead of optical instruments to evaluate dispersion quality.

The Ontario Rubber Group will host its Spring Technical Meeting on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM (ET) at the Mississauga Grand Banquet and Event Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Among the presenters, Chris Sawicki, the Americas Marketing Representative for Cancarb Limited, will deliver a deliver technical presentation on “Thermax® Carbon Black and Sustainability.”