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]

Grieve Corp. has released No. 980, a 500ºF electrically-heated universal style oven, which currently is used for post curing fabric-coated silicone rubber gaskets.

Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 30” W x 144” D x 30” H, Grieve said. In addition, 24 kW are installed in Nichrome wire elements to heat the oven chamber, while a 4200 CFM, 3-HP recirculating blower provides front-to-rear universal airflow to the workload, the company said.

This Grieve universal oven features four-inch thick insulated walls, aluminized steel exterior, Type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior, plus an integral oven leg stand and one pair of truck wheel guide tracks installed on the top of the floor to accept the customer's wheeled fixture, Grieve said.

Grieve claims No. 980 includes all safety equipment required for flammable solvent processing, including explosion-venting door hardware and powered forced exhauster.

Controls on this oven include a digital indicating temperature controller. For more information, visit www.grievecorp.com.

Teknor Apex Co. said it has produced a series of styrenic block copolymer elastomers that exhibits performance comparable to that of thermoplastic vulcanizates widely used in window gaskets, while offering new options for building product manufacturers.

Unlike most TPVs used for weatherproof seals in metal, wood or PVC window frames, Teknor Apex said the Monprene IN-23000 Series styrenic block copolymer compounds are available in small lots and pre-colored grades and require no pre-drying. Some grades in the Monprene IN-23000 series can be processed with the same tooling used for PVC profiles at similar throughput rates and die pressures, the company said.

In the coextruded structures widely used for window gaskets, Teknor Apex said, all of the new compounds exhibit excellent adhesion to the polypropylene or high-modulus TPE substrate that serves as the rigid supporting component. They provide sufficient stiffness to facilitate window assembly and, unlike most TPVs, resist staining from paints, the company claimed.

Like TPVs, Teknor Apex said Monprene IN-23000 Series TPEs exhibit the end-use properties essential for air- and moisture-proof window gaskets, including rubberlike seal recovery, low-temperature toughness and UV resistance.

More information is available here.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has released Thermo Scientific Haake Mars (Modular Advanced Rheometer System) 40 and 60 rheometers that offer enhanced features to the existing line of accurate, user-friendly Haake Mars rheometers.

This allows users to expand capabilities for future needs. Thermo Fisher said. The Haake Mars 40 and 60 rheometers are equipped with Connect Assist technology, first introduced with the Thermo Scientific Haake Viscotester iQ rheometer. The Connect Assist technology automatically detects measuring geometry accessories and temperature modules to deliver real-time feedback, making it easy for users to set up sample testing procedures with minimal errors, Thermo Fisher Scientific claimed. A push button, automatic geometry release system makes handling simple and convenient, the company said.

Additionally, Thermo Fisher said the Haake Mars 40 and 60 rheometers streamline workflows by offering application packages that bundle the rheometer with task-specific accessories for markets that include pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, petrochemical and polymers.

Additional features include:

• a two-column modular design, allowing easy access for sample preparation with quick-fit accessory connections and measurement setup, including an intuitive display and control panel;

• application-specific measuring cells and hybrid methods, such as MARS-FTIR coupling, to provide enhanced material characterization options; and

• Thermo Scientific HAAKE RheoWin software for easy rheometer operation, including all relevant measuring parameters required by experienced rheologists.

For more information, visit www.thermofisher.com.