MD Merchem- Rubber Manufacturing

1
Process of Rubber Manufacturing

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2
Process

• The methods of manufacturing rubber are similar
  for all producers World-Wide. Variances however,
  may occur regarding specific compounds, each
  manufacturers production methods and levels of
  sophistication.
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3
Formulation and Mixing of Rubber Compounds

• VIP-Polymers process a variety of rubber
  materials, both natural and synthetic, into
  compounds suitable to face the most challenging
  performance and environmental criteria. Natural
  rubbers are supplied from traditional countries
  in the Far East such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
  Synthetic rubber is primarily manufactured at
  chemical plants in Industrial Europe and the
  U.S.A. On its own, basic rubber is of little use
  and must be formulated to make it suitable for
  manufacture and to ensure desired properties in
  finished products.
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4
How rubber products are manufactured

• Industrial Rubber components are usually
  manufactured by one of the following methods
• Injection Moulding - Using strip compound
  produced as previously described.
• Compression Moulding - Requires secondary
  operations to process material into suitable
  forms of the correct weight and/or shape to suit
  particular products.
• Extrusion - Using strip compound produced as
  previously described.
• Injection and Compression moulding requires
  highly accurate single or multi-cavity moulds,
  typically made in high grade steel and designed
  and made using CAD/CAM programmes.
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Injection Moulding

• Injection moulding has a number of elements
  operating automatically on timed sequences with
  moulding temperatures usually between 165C and
  200C.
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6
Compression Moulding

• This simpler process is slower in operation than
  injection moulding in that special uncured
  preformed and weighed blanks are used. The
  process employs hydraulic presses with pre-heated
  platens at (150-170C) that in turn heat up the
  mould.
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7
Extrusion

• Extrusion is used for either of two functions
• Manufacture of long lengths of cured sections for
  fabrication of items too large for injection or
  compression moulding.
• The production of blanks for compression
  moulding.
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8
Continuous Vulcanisation

• VIP-Polymers utilise a manufacturing process
  known as Continuous Vulcanisation for production
  of cured extrusion for conversion into certain
  finished products as follows.
• Two items of machinery are required for this
  process
• An extruder with a barrel and screw, and a die of
  correct cross-section at the outlet end.
• A heating source to cure the rubber which may be
  one of the following
• A hot air oven.
• A microwave unit/hot air oven combination.
• A specialised bath containing molten salt.
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Continuous Vulcanisation

• The "Continuous Vulcanisation" process is as
  follows
• Strip rubber is fed into the extruder. It is then
  plasticised by the screw and extruded through the
  die orifice. The extruder operates under
  controlled conditions of temperature and screw
  speed.
• The continuous extrudate is passed down the
  heating medium which causes it to cure. Again,
  speed and temperature are accurately controlled.
• The emerging cured profile is cooled and cut to
  length automatically or rolled onto drums for
  subsequent secondary operations.
• This process invariably involves a line length of
  as much as l00 feet, and optional operations may
  utilise a U-format to economise on space.
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10

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