Today's News
Dunlop expands support for smallholder rubber farmers in Indonesia
Dunlop is expanding a program to help smallholder natural rubber farmers in Indonesia as the tire company seeks to strengthen its supply chain and promote more sustainable rubber production.
The second phase of Dunlop’s Sustainable Natural Rubber project began in April and will continue through April 2029. The program will continue in the Jambi region of Sumatra and expand to Rantau Prapat in North Sumatra.
Trelleborg acquires sealing profiles company in Southern Europe
The Trelleborg Group, through its business area Trelleborg Industrial Solutions, has signed an agreement and completed the acquisition of Producta S.r.l. The company is a leading manufacturer of advanced sealing solutions and extruded profiles for the building and construction industry, mainly in Italy and Greece.
Wacker to present oil-exuding liquid silicone rubber at Fakuma
For the first time, WACKER will be presenting an oil-exuding liquid silicone rubber with coolant resistant properties at FAKUMA, the 30th international trade show for plastics processing, starting October 12 through 16. ELASTOSIL® LR 3822 was specifically designed for applications in the field of e-mobility with a focus on connector seals and sealing elements in the cooling circuit of EV traction batteries.
Braskem is over two-thirds of its decarbonization goals
Braskem has already achieved more than two-thirds of its goal of reducing absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its operations by 15% by 2030. This progress is the result of the company’s Industrial Decarbonization Program, which has already implemented initiatives responsible for reducing more than 1.2 million tons of CO²e per year.
RPM completes acquisition of Volteco
RPM International Inc. announced that it has completed the previously communicated acquisition of Volteco S.p.A. (Volteco), an Italy-based leading supplier of below-grade waterproofing solutions, for its Tremco Construction Products Group (Tremco CPG). This strategic acquisition brings a unique and differentiated technology platform to Tremco CPG.
Momentive begins production of NXT P97 Silane at its India facility
Momentive Performance Materials (Momentive) announced the production of NXT™ P97 Silane at its Chennai, India facility. The investment strengthens supply reliability while expanding access to advanced tire technology and technical expertise, supporting one of the world’s fastest-growing tire manufacturing markets.
Featured
Mixing
Understanding the difference between high and low shear
Industrial mixing is a crucial process in various industries, including production of rubber formulations, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and many others. It is also integral to continuous process industries including waste water treatment, fuel and energy production, and mining of metals and minerals.
Chemicals and Materials
Flexsys narrows 6PPD replacement to two final molecules
Flexsys has developed the world’s first viable alternative to 6PPD, the Company has now completed screening efforts and is focusing on two final candidate molecules for expanded testing and ultimately final selection as a replacement for 6PPD in tires.
Flexsys has also entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to independently and thoroughly evaluate the two molecules’ potential effects on aquatic life
Extrusion
Extruding full rubber bales without a granulator
Walk into most rubber compounding operations today and somewhere upstream of the mixer one will find a granulator. It sits
Silicone & Medical
Bluestar Silicones launches the first mechanically recycled silicone
Bluestar Silicones announces the launch of the first mechanically recycled silicone masterbatch in its portfolio to meet technical performance and product quality comparable to conventional materials.
Incorporating 33% mechanically recycled content, this new product, now available for pre-commercial sales, expands Bluestar Silicones’ Sircle™ circular technologies portfolio while supporting the company’s broader sustainability strategy.
Oil, Gas & Energy
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies develops new sealing system for CO2 compressors
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed a new sealing system for busbar sealing in vehicle air-conditioning compressors. This elastomer-based solution withstands test pressures of over 100 bar in leak tests and offers a cost-efficient alternative to conventional glass seals. Designed for CO₂ compressors (R744), it also works well with other refrigerants.
Testing & Instruments
Direct measurement of steady state shear viscosity
by Michele Scacchi and Denis Venturoli, Evercompounds S.p.A., and Mauro Belloni, Gibitre Instruments S.r.l. The Mooney viscometer (MV) was invented
Molding
Compression molding simulation: Capabilities, features and industrial case studies
by Harshal Bhogesra, MoldEx3D. The MoldEx3D compression molding module provides a fully coupled simulation environment that replicates the filling, packing,
Thermoplastic Elastomers & Urethanes
Polycarbonate polyols for high-performance PU dispersions
by Yoichi Hirose, Asahe Kasei. Newly developed DK031E and PCDX-249 are designed to address the issues associated with aqueous dispersions of polyurethane (PUDs) offering the potential to reduce solvent usage.
Latex and Natural Rubber
Olam Agri acquisition nearly doubles rubber processing capacity in Ivory Coast
Olam Agri has completed its acquisition of Asia Africa Rubber Industry S.A., adding 176,000 metric tons of annual rubber processing capacity in Ivory Coast as the company moves to expand its natural rubber business and meet growing demand for traceable supplies.
The acquisition nearly doubles Olam Agri’s rubber processing capacity in the West African country and is expected to improve operational efficiency, supply reliability and access to international customers, the company said.
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