Cabot launches engineered elastomer composites for tires

Boston, Massachusetts – Cabot Corp. has launched a new range of 'engineered elastomer composites', developed using proprietary technology for mixing reinforcing agents into elastomers.

Part of its Durability series, the E²C branded materials are designed to help tire makers achieve “superior performance, sustainably and economically,” the US company said 25 Feb.

The first product of the range DX9730 is said to simplify commercialistion of products based on these composites by delivering “a ready-to-use and easy-to-handle” form.

Designed for OTR/earthmover tires, it is also claimed to offer “breakthrough improvements” in cut, chip, and chunk resistance, thereby reducing the risk of “catastrophic tire failures.”

The E²C range, according to Cabot, can be integrated into current production methods without additional capital investment. 

The composites, it stated, also require fewer mixing stages, lower mixing temperatures and shorter mixing cycles than conventional products.

This feature ‘significantly reduces’ operating costs and enables additional production capacity, Cabot further claimed.

The composites 'expand the performance triangle, shorten development cycles, and reduce operational barriers to new product commercialisation,' said David Reynolds, VP general manager, Cabot Elastomer Composites. 

This can enable an average mine to increase haulage capacity, boost output, and reduce annual downtime for tire changes leading to a potential benefits of up to €138 million a year, the company added.

Cabot announced in May 2019 that it was expanding its composite elastomers production and working on new products for a select set of end users. 

The company had been carrying out liquid mixing of elastomer composites at its Port Dickson, Malaysia, site since 1995 and was under a 10-year exclusive license for this technology with Michelin until recently.

In 2017, Cabot announced an investment to expand the elastomer composites product line to serve a broader customer base.