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].

Wabash MPI and Carver Inc. will display Wabash's new hybrid servo-pneumatic Microlim Liquid Injection Molding Machine at the upcoming International Elastomer Conference in Booth No. 412 in Cleveland, Oct. 13-15.

The companies said the Microlim machine is ideal for clean room and medical applications and is designed for shot sizes from less than 1 to 15cc. Features include a patented plunger design with a center shutoff nozzle for accurate shot size control and clamp force up to 17 tons.

The companies also will be displaying a Carver Auto Series Laboratory Press at their booth. Wabash and Carver can also custom design electric, pneumatic and hydraulic presses to fit specific molding applications in sizes from .5 to 1000 tons and platen sizes from 6' to 12'.

For more information, visit www.wabashmpi.com or www.carverpress.com.

Master Bond Inc. has unveiled its EP21NDCL, a two component epoxy system that cures optically clear in thin sections, even though Part A is translucent and Part B is light amber.

This non-drip compound is formulated for a variety of bonding, sealing and coating applications, Master Bond said, in the optical, opto-electronic, electrical, aerospace and specialty OEM industries.

Additionally, EP21NDCL offers convenient handling with a one to one mix ratio by weight or volume, with the ratio being able to be adjusted to deliver different properties, the company said.

Master Bond said EP21NDCL cures at room temperatures or more quickly at elevated temperatures. Upon curing, this epoxy features durable bonds with high tensile lap shear, tensile and compressive strength of 2,600-2,800 psi, 6,500-7,500 psi and 12,000-13,000 psi, respectively. The company claimed it bonds well to many substrates, such as metals, composites, glass, ceramics, rubbers and plastics, particularly acrylics and polycarbonates.

With a volume resistivity greater than 1014 ohm-cm, EP21NDCL offers impressive electrical insulation properties and resists chemicals including water, oils, fuels, acids, bases and salts, according to Master Bond. This epoxy system also withstands rigorous thermal cycling over the wide service temperature range of -60°F to +250°F, the company said.

EP21NDCL has a shelf life of a year at 75°F in its original, unopened containers. It is available for use in container kits ranging in size from one-half pints to 5 gallons.

Read more about Master Bond's optically clear adhesives by clicking here.

Endurica L.L.C. has released version 2.32 of its fatigue life analysis software Endurica CL.

Endurica CL is a computer simulation that can model the development of damage in an elastomeric part operating under complex service conditions, the company said. The release includes new features for calculating self-heating, analyzing rolling structures and diagnosing cavitation and wrinkling conditions that might occur during loading cycles, the company said. The new features are provided at no additional cost under the existing license, according to Endurica.

The new features enhance the software's library of elastomer-specialized analysis capabilities. Starting from results computed in a standard finite element analysis of the part in operation, Endurica said the Endurica CL computes the number of repeats of the simulated operation that can be endured before cracks develop. The calculation uses critical planeanalysis for accurately computing the effects of multiple simultaneous load inputs, rainflow counting for the effects of variable amplitude loading, and nonlinear material laws that effectively capture a range of elastomer behaviors (hyperelasticity, cyclic stress softening, strain crystallization, temperature dependence, ozone attack, etc.), the company said. Endurica CL accounts for the effects of finite straining and crack closure under compression, while the company said the material properties for the analysis are obtained from simple-to-use crack growth rate experiments.

For more information, visit www.endurica.com.