ARPM, Freudenberg-NOK launch harmonized material data sheet

PLYMOUTH, Mich.—Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and the Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers have unveiled a new harmonized material data sheet designed to save suppliers time and money when implemented into their material testing practices.

Freudenberg-NOK said in a news release that the sheet provides a standardized protocol that specifies conditions under which a material has been fabricated and tested in laboratory settings. Suppliers who adopt the ARPM system will be required to provide the same test data on every material they introduce to market, which Freudenberg-NOK said will help establish a comparative material foundation that does not exist today.

The data sheet, ARPM document number OS-1-4, can be used globally to track material characteristics. F. Joseph Walker, global director for advanced materials development at Freudenberg-NOK, said industry-wide implementation of such standard protocols will help streamline material testing.

“A harmonized material data sheet does not replace an OEM's individual specification demands,” Walker, who also chairs the ARPM seals and gaskets committee, said in a statement. “But what it does do is provide a rapid way to evaluate the basic suitability of materials. By using this harmonized data sheet, suppliers will be providing standardized data derived from use of identical tests performed under identical laboratory conditions. This will level the playing field, so to speak, because the same information is being collected.”

ARPM Managing Director Letha Keslar said in a statement the association believes information is power. She added that members enjoy free access to all of its standards, as well as other cost-saving programs, networking events and conferences.

“We have non-member companies contact our offices on a daily basis to gain access to our technical standards,” she added. “These contacts, both national and international, come from inside and outside the manufacturing realm. We realize the only way this can be done is through working with our amazing group of volunteer committee members.”

The new sheet will, in most cases, eliminate the need for suppliers to screen materials using different companies' protocols. Freudenberg-NOK said this regionally-accepted material protocol will maximize efficiency and reduce testing costs. Walker said this means faster time to market through added efficiencies gained in suppliers' laboratories.

Additionally, the sheet will also identify the cross link density of the material being tested and collect the “DNA” of a material's key properties and thermal resistance.