A weekly look at new products, innovations

Editor's Note: Each week, Rubber & Plastics News will take a look at some of the rubber industry's new products and innovations on www.rubbernews.com. Does your company have a new product or new innovation? To be considered for inclusion in this recurring feature, email [email protected].

Solvay S.A. recently unveiled Efficium highly dispersible silica at the Tire Technology Expo in Cologne, Germany.

Efficium is a reinforcing filler, which allows for higher productivity and greater flexibility in producing green passenger car and truck tire compounds, the company said.

Efficium offers benefits for the automotive industry, Solvay said, allowing for increased productivity due to its impact on mixing and extrusion throughput and adding flexibility thanks to its silanization control and reformulation opportunities without compromising on rolling resistance, wear and grip. Efficium strongly facilitates the conversion from carbon black to HDS compounds.

Efficium's wider operating window is characterized by lower Mooney viscosity, lower temperature sensitivity, better dimensional stability during extrusion and extended storage life of uncured rubber, Solvay said. All of these advantages result in a more versatile product for a broader range of passenger car, commercial vehicles and heavy-duty truck applications, the company claimed.

For more information, click here.

Huntsman Corp.'s Thermoplastic Polyurethanes division will highlight the company's latest technologies for the plastics market at the Society of Plastics Industry NPE event, March 23-27, in Orlando, Fla.

At Booth S15073, Huntsman will showcase:

• Avalon TPU for the footwear sector, one of the first polyurethane materials developed for the footwear industry in the 1970s. The company has expanded its line of lightweight TPUs to meet the sustainability objectives of footwear manufacturers worldwide, while raising the bar in terms of material performance and wearer comfort, the company said.

• Irogran TPU for wire and cable manufacture. Marketed under the Irogran brand, the range includes a variety of halogen-free, flame retardant grades that are easy to process and provide a matte finish, the company said.

• Irogran TPU for food contact materials. Produced under good manufacturing practice conditions, they are used in harvesting and picking equipment, processing and dispensing machinery, conveyor belts and many other food and drink-related processes.

• Krystalgran TPU for film and sheet production. Huntsman said it can help safeguard tablets and smartphones screens and protect automotive bodies from chips and scratches. They are also used in construction, flooring, footwear, graphics and textile applications.

For information, go to www.huntsman.com.

Wacker Chemie A.G., along with inpro Innovation Co. for Advanced Production Systems in the Automotive Industry GmbH, has developed Elastosil RT 779, a silicone adhesive-sealant for mounting vehicle oil pans.

Elastosil RT 779 adheres to aluminum and polyamide, Wacker said, and plastic oil pans now can be mounted without mechanical fasteners.

Elastosil RT 779 has good sealing properties and is highly resistant to oil, heat and dynamic loads, Wacker said. The adhesive can be applied by machine and rapidly cures at room temperature. This self-adhesive, condensation-curing two-part silicone rubber boasts a balanced range of rheological properties. It has a high green strength, Wacker added, but thins enough under shear to enable it to be readily processed on two-component mixing and metering equipment.

This product cures rapidly, even if the container has been in protracted storage, the pot life is just five to 10 minutes.

The adhesive-sealant provides long-term adhesion to aluminum and polyamide without the need for priming. Jst 20 minutes after mounting, Wacker said the bond is strong enough to allow further operations on the engine and oil pan. This slashes cycle times in the production process. When fully cured, the adhesive has a bond strength exceeding 0.25 megapascals.

As a result of the push to make vehicles lighter, more and more engine oil pans are being made from lightweight materials, such as aluminum and plastic. Wacker said. Until now, such components were bolted to the crankcase. The assembly was then sealed with an adhesive-sealant.

To see more information, click here.