The Real Costs of manufacturing In-House dispersions
When comparing the raw material costs of in-house production with the purchase of ready-made water-based dispersions, one might initially assume that manufacturing in-house is cheaper. However, a true cost comparison must account for various additional factors involved in in-house dispersion production. In-House Dispersion Production: Hidden Costs You Should Consider When producing dispersions in-house, several hidden costs go […]
VINYL Silanes for the Plastics & Rubber Industry
In July 2023 we focused on sulphur silanes. This month our focus will be on vinyl silanes. We did cover the introductory part in that article. However, at the risk of being repetitious, but for a stand-alone reader, we will repeat it here… Introduction Silanes have been known for about 50 years. They were originally […]
Silanes: SULPHUR Silanes for the Plastics & Rubber Industry, Industrial Coatings, Adhesives & Sealants, Filler Treatments
This month we focus on silanes and more especially sulphur silanes. In the forthcoming month we will focus on vinyl silanes. Introduction Silanes have been known for about 50 years. They were originally used in an industrial scale for adhesives and coatings. In the 70s silanes found their way into the rubber industry as coupling […]
Raw materials in short supply? Look at Alternative Accelerator Blends
There seems to be no end in sight, at least in the immediate future for an end of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Reports on the conflict that once dominated headlines, now finds a small mention on page six or seven of newspaper. What does remain is the economic turmoil that the conflict has caused across the […]
Why use a processing aid like Dispergum zinc soap (Part 1)
In this two-part article, we bring to you why one should use processing aids like Dispergum zinc soaps for NBR and CR and in the next month, the all-important question: How do you know your processing aid is working – this alongside tests to show the efficacy of these processing aids. The two most common rubbers Nitrile (NBR) and chloroprene […]
Accelerators to Control Blooming in EPDM (Part 2)
‘Smartly’ use pre-mixed accelerator blends to control blooming Ethylene a-olefin elastomers, particularly ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubbers, are excellent all-purpose rubbers. Environmental factors such as oxygen, heat UV and ozone tend to degrade the rubbers. These factors cause free radicals to form which attach to the polymer chain and make the rubber harder. Antioxidants are added to […]
Accelerators to Control Blooming in EPDM
‘Smartly’ use pre-mixed accelerator blends to control blooming Curing in EPDM (Ethylene propylene diene) rubbers is much slower compared to curing in conventional diene rubbers. Therefore, it usually requires a high concentration of highly active curing accelerators. This, though, has its own issues as there is a limit to using high amounts of accelerators, as […]
Protection in Plastics against anti-static discharge
Static electricity has its uses, no doubt. Think laser printers, photocopiers and flash bulbs for photography. Why do we call this static electricity? Static electricity is a kind of electric charge that stays in one place, as in it is really is static. On the other hand, current electricity or electric current, is electricity that moves from one place […]
Why use Insoluble Sulphur as a vulcanising agent for Rubber!!
Insoluble sulphur is an important rubber additive. The reason the focus in on the use of INSOLUBLE sulphur is because common soluble sulphur tends to bloom i.e., deposition of sulphur inside or at the surface of the rubber. Insoluble sulphur improves product quality, wearability and resistance to both fatigue and ageing. Insoluble sulphur is mainly used […]
Effect of Particle Size in Dispersions for Latex
A few months ago we published an article ( link ), making the case of use for readymade dispersions whilst compounding for latex. Apart from the functional and technical requirements of users of additive dispersions, Mr. Paul McKavanagh, Ex Director – Aquaspersions, Malaysia has set up a very valiitive dispersions, Mr. Paul McKavanagh, Ex Director – Aquaspersions, Malaysia […]