Rubber Extrusion

Recent changes in Screw extruders for rubber have been driven by demands for accuracy and economy, increased understanding of the underlying principles, and improvements in related technologies such as control systems and computing power. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database provides useful references for further reading.

This report provides the reader with not only a review of technology developments but also a consideration of end-use market factors.

This report provides a review of the principles of continuous vulcanisation together with details of the systems which are available commercially. References are provided throughout, drawing together the scientific literature and material published by the equipment suppliers. An indexed section containing several hundred key references and abstracts completes the report, enabling the reader to locate additional data on specific aspects of the process.

This review describes the changes in the industry over the last 5 years, concentrating on the screw extrusion process where the extruded product has a constant cross-section. Film and sheet production and pultrusion are not included in this review. Products and applications are reviewed in detail and major advances such as computer control, materials and speed and size issues are also covered. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database provides useful references for further reading.

This review has been written as a practical approach to bonding various kinds of elastomers to substrates such as steel and plastics, as used in the manufacture of diverse products such as rubber covered rolls, urethane fork lift wheels, rubber lining for chemical storage or solid rocket motors, engine bushes and mounts, seals for transmissions, electrical power connectors and military tank track pads. Based on the authors' years of experience working closely with end-use customers and it offers a thorough overview of how to successfully bond rubber to a given substrate in the manufacture of quality rubber engineered components. This review is supported by an indexed section containing several hundred key references and abstracts selected from the Rapra Abstracts database.

Silicone rubber belongs to the group of synthetic rubbers and, due to its property profile, offers broad application possibilities in a large number of industrial sectors. The processing of high-consistency silicone rubber in the extrusion process places high demands on the processor in terms of process understanding and material behavior. The aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the fundamental and comprehensive analysis of the extrusion process of high-consistency silicone rubber.