Rubber processing: how an expert can support
Smithers experts share how they support clients with compounding and sample manufacture for development trials of rubber materials.
Depending on internal capabilities, mixing studies can become time consuming, expensive, and difficult to conduct. When testing various rubber compound formulations, it's important to not only account for adequate mixing capabilities but also the right amount needed for material testing - which is where small batch rubber mixing can support.
Silica dispersion: 5-pass on 1.5L tangential mixer (left) vs. 4-pass on 1L intermesh mixer (right). Both photos taken at 1000x magnification, SEM photomicrographs.
How Smithers can support with small batch rubber mixing
With several small batch rubber mixing options available at our rubber testing labs, Smithers can assist clients with rubber mixing studies covering a variety of applications.Banbury Mixer (1.5L Capacity)
- High volume applications
- Easy to mix stocks
- Low viscosity stocks
- Sticky materials
- High viscosity with multiple step mixing
- Final step mix on high viscosity stocks.
Kneader Mixer with Intermeshing Rotors (1L Capacity)
- High viscosity stocks
- Specialty rubber goods (Low Temp Mixing)
- Reactive mixing (Silica Treads)
- Compounds with hard-to-disperse fillers
- Single step mixing
- Extreme high quality applications.
Silica dispersion: 5-pass on 1.5L tangential mixer (left) vs. 4-pass on 1L intermesh mixer (right). Both photos taken at 1000x magnification, SEM photomicrographs.