Mesnac expects liquid-mixing verdict within a year

Cologne, Germany – Mesnac will start production of tire compounds based on this new liquid mixing technology by the end of the year, according to Karol Vanko, vice president of the Chinese tire-manufacturing equipment company.

“This factory is built and you can expect the first results very soon, said Vanko, reporting on the progress of Mesnac’s project with the EV Institute in China, at the recent Future Tire Conference 2018, in Cologne.

According to Vanko, the basic concept behind the technology is to mix compounds on a molecular basis, so that the end-material has much better properties than those achieved using conventional mixing.

A particular target, he said, is to extend the lifetime of tire. This parameter, he said, has gone down rapidly over recent years due to safety and other requirements.

The next stage, said Vanko, is to offer trial compounds to customers: “They will test and combine this masterbatch compound with other materials and then we will find out if there is interest or not.”

“In a year’s time, the first results of using these compounds will be known,” the Mesnac boss concluded. “If it is a success, and that is still a big ‘if’, then this will be a game-changer.”