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].

 The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. has launched Tuftex α, a conveyor belt cover compound.

The company said the product is specially designed for use in demanding applications, such as high-capacity reclaimers handling iron ore and coal at port stock yard facilities.

The company said the new cover compound features Yokohama's advanced rubber compounding technology, achieving a high level of abrasion resistance and thus providing longer service life. According to the firm, reclaimer belts are run at high speeds and transport large volumes of materials in a short period of time, subjecting the belt to severe abrasion.

The company said the Tuftex α has abrasion resistance 64 percent better than the company's existing super wear resistant cover compound, and that the belt's durability makes it ideal for prolonged use under harsh environmental conditions, such as exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun.

For more information, click here.

Smithers Rapra has released a new publication, “The Future of Autonomous Vehicles and the Impact on Tire Markets to 2026.”

According to Smithers Rapra, the comprehensive market report forecasts how the market for the technology and how autonomous vehicles overall will develop, and how that progression will impact on the tire industry to 2026 and beyond. The book forecasts explosive growth for the autonomous vehicles markets, from a very small base in 2016, to 17.5 million vehicles sold globally by 2026.

Smithers Rapra said the content includes statistical data for the size of the autonomous vehicles market today and to 2026 and impact on the tire market; expert analysis of key trends, market influences and technological forecasts; and quantitative forecasts broken down by vehicle type, end-use category and region.

The firm said the data and information were gathered using a combination of secondary and primary research. Secondary research consisted of a review of published material, conference proceedings and information from organizations and companies involved in the production, supply and use of tires and their ingredients, Smithers Rapra said. Primary research consisted of interviews with specialists along the automotive and tire supply chains. The data was analyzed to provide estimates and forecasts for the autonomous vehicles markets by end-use sector, type and region.

The cost of the publication is approximately $4,650.

More information is available by clicking here.

Rodolfo Comerio unveiled the first of what it says are the world's two biggest calenders at an event held Aug. 1-2 at its Solbiate site in northern Italy.

The firm said both calenders are F-shaped—one a five-roll model with a roll diameter of 870 millimeters and roll-width of 5,000 millimeters, the other a four-roll machine with 870 millimeter-diameter rolls and roll-width of 5.000 millimeters.

The units are destined for China, under a contract signed in the second half of 2015, with an unnamed, major international manufacturer of calendered products, the company said.

The “extremely sophisticated” calenders are equipped with enormous rolls made of forged steel as well as advanced safety and control systems, according to Rodolfo. Infrared video cameras control the incoming material flow to each bank, the company said, while a hydraulic, fast opening capability protects the rolls against any possible contact between them.

The rolls are fitted with special hot-ground bearings, which, Rodolfo claimed, are to ensure precise thickness of sheet. Takeoff and stretching rolls are independently motorized for more precise and accurate process control, the company said. The machines are use Italian materials and components, according to Rodolfo.

More information is available by clicking here.