Essentially Rubber – Innovation

Leading-edge designs and applications showing how elastomer materials contribute to all aspects of life and lifestyle in the 21st century:

Yokohama Rubber MB Japan has released a conveyor belt product with “excellent flame retardant oil resistance.” it announced 6 Dec. The Criterion Z series system, features a special shape that enables steep incline and vertical conveyance, which is not possible with ordinary conveyor belts. Transport efficiency is improved by combining sidewalls and cleats – a plate that passes horizontally to the belt to prevent slippage – to increase load capacity and prevent spillage. In addition to self-extinguishing flame retardancy, the product “suppresses the impact of oil and fat on the transported material and contributes to stable operation.”

Busto Arsizio, Italy-based Comerio Ercole is working to enhance the performance of its equipment across a series of metrics. The programme has included the recent completion of testing on a special calendering plant for rubber sheets based on a ‘miniduplex’ configuration. The four-roll set-up is capable of providing a rubber thickness of only 0.075 mm for each rubber sheet. Read more

Kraiburg TPE has unveiled new thermoplastic elastomer materials specifically designed for car pedal manufacturing. The Thermolast K product are tailored to offer: enhanced adhesion to PP; soft-touch properties: “excellent” resistance to wear & tear and colourability. The TPEs are also said to offer benefits in terms of “controlled” emission and odour, recyclability and processing.

French rubber injection moulding machine maker REP has developed a press for a “highly demanding” customer project. With a clamping force of 8,000kN and a working area over 1m x 1.5m long, the S08 is optimised for large flat gasket applications, demanding especially high levels of quality and precision. The design employs multiple synchronised clamping units as well as large-sized heating plates and adjustable configurations. Injection of long thin sections is facilitated by an injection pressure of up to 3,000 bar and circuit division with several injection units.

Mitsubishi Chemical’s plant-derived polyol BioPTMG has been adopted by Kahei Co. Ltd as a synthetic leather material. Items such as shoulder bags and tissue cases made with this bio-synthetic leather will be sold on the market via Triple A Co. Ltd, a planner and marketer of sustainable products.  Read more

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has introduced new polymer-based technologies for automotive batteries: launching three new products earlier this month. Unveiled at the 2024 Battery Show, 7-10 Oct in Detroit, the German-based sealing products manufacturer's developments include: advanced thermal barriers; prismatic battery cell caps; and prismatic envelopes for batteries.  Read more

A sneaker made with airbag fabric remnants in a joint project by Toyoda Gosei and Asics Corp., has won a Good Design Award 2024 by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion. The prize-winning Gel-Sonoma 15-50 shoes, which were launched back in early 2023, feature uppers made from airbag fabric that would otherwise be discarded, TG said a 16 Oct announcement.   Read more

German rail and bus supplier Huebner Group has launched a new solution for fully automated coupling and uncoupling of rubber gangway systems. Exhibited during InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin, the AutoCouple system allows operators to uncouple wagons "at the push of a button." The new technology aims to make passenger train operations more flexible, enabling operators to adjust train capacities quickly and efficiently. Read more

ContiTech has developed a new generation of hydraulic wheelset guiding bushes for train bogies, designed to reduce maintenance and enhance passenger comfort. The bushings offer improved adaptation to track pressure compared to conventional hydraulic models, helping balance the forces on the wheelset, extending the lifespan of critical train components. Read more

NOK Corp. has released of an exclusive edition of its "KKOOR" hair ties, in collaboration with the football club Fukushima United FC. The ties were made available in a limited run of 100 sets during the Fukushima City hometown day match on 15 Sept, between Fukushima United FC and Gainare Tottori. The hair ties a part of NOK's first venture into the B2C market, are claimed to offer “high resistance to sweat and water, durability, and secure fit.”

Compounder Prism Worldwide has recently launched a new car mat comprising 50% recycled elastomer materials. The Cirx car mats include Prism’s Ancora C-1082 thermoplastic elastomers, which is said to incorporate 50% recycled content derived from end-of-life tires. The recycled materials is said to enhance the durability and functionality of the car mats.  Read more

Borflex has designed a new material for critical applications in the nuclear industry. Tailored to provide “optimum” absorption of thermal neutrons, the Flexibore-branded material is made from natural rubber and 50% by weight of  B4C [boron carbide] powder.  Seals made from the material are suitable for zone 4 uses – those with the highest levels of radioactivity, added Borflex. Flexibore. It noted, is also used in neutron spectrometry to reduce background noise and improve measurement accuracy.

Claiming an industry 'first', Shin-Etsu Chemical has announced the development of a heat-shrinkable silicone rubber tube for covering busbars. Busbars are conductor rods made of metals, such as copper and aluminium, that are used to connect and distribute power sources. They are used in various applications, including distribution boards and control panels, and have been increasingly in demand, driven by the growth in demand for electric vehicles.  Read more

Bridgestone Soft Robotics Ventures has developed a soft robot hand which can pick up objects with different shapes, hardness and materials, using artificial rubber-based muscles. Tetote features four fingers powered by rubber muscles, which are “impact resistance, light weight, and highly efficient.” The robotic hand has been developed to automate various tasks that currently rely on humans, such as piece picking at logistic sites. Unlike conventional robotic hands that can pick up flat objects, Tetote can handle objects of various shapes, leveraging both the ‘suction’ function of robots and the ‘hand design’ feature that aids in grasping products.  Read more

Budapest-based maker of thermal imaging cameras (TICs) Medirlab is employing graphene nanotube materials in a new range of explosion-proof devices for firefighters. Medirlab selected the nanomaterials from OCSiAl to enhance ATEX safety: integrating the nanotubes into silicone camera-body parts and aramid neck strap of the Pyrolater. The TICs are designed to transform infrared radiation into visible light, enabling firefighters to see through smoke, darkness, or heat-permeable barriers... Read more

Huntsman has developed a range of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) materials for the production of footwear with enhanced grip, durability and ‘circularity’. Tailored for use in soling applications, the new Avalon Gecko TPU series includes an extrudable grade for creating "super thin" outsoles and a product that can be foamed to produce a very low density material with a unique touch and feel.  Read more

Essentially Rubber - July/August