Toyoda Gosei process lowers steam use in rubber product manufacturing

Kiyosu, Japan – Toyoda Gosei and Toyota Central R&D Labs have jointly developed new technology that reduces the amount of energy used in the production of rubber products.

Traditionally, after automotive rubber hoses are formed, they are put in an autoclave and heated with high temperature steam to give them elasticity.

During this process, large amounts of steam are used to raise the temperature to a fixed level and a significant amount of gas is consumed to create the steam.

In a 19 June statement, Toyoda Gosei said its new technology focuses on the process of exchanging the air inside the autoclave with steam.

To develop the process, the Japanese group used Toyota Central R&D Labs’ simulation technology, which it said can “analyse with high accuracy the airflow and heat distribution within the autoclave.”

The new technology, under joint patent pending, is claimed to reduce, by half, the amount of steam needed during discharge in comparison with previous processes.

The process is currently being used at Toyoda Gosei’s Morimachi plant in Japan and is expected to cut 110 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

Toyoda Gosei aims to roll out the technology across its other rubber parts manufacturing plants in Japan and internationally, contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality by 2050.