Alpha debuts upgraded line of rubber testing equipment

PITTSBURGH—The two pieces of equipment that Alpha Technologies displayed from its Premier line during the International Elastomer Conference and Rubber Expo are part of its multiyear effort to upgrade virtually all of the Akron-based firm's products.

Alpha debuted its Premier MV (Mooney Viscometer) and its Premier HC (High Capacity) system, equipment that follows last year's introduction of the Premier MDR (Moving Die Rheometer).

The testing instrument firm's Premier line is replacing its Series 2000 family, which has been used in the rubber industry dating back to the 1980s, according to Terry DeLapa, Alpha's sales leader for North America.

“The whole Premier line has some new technologies,” said DeLapa, who discussed the upgrades during the ACS Rubber Division's Rubber Expo in Pittsburgh. “All the electronics are new. So is the four post design, which gives (the equipment) better stability and stiffness, which means the data is even better than before. And we always had very good, precise data, so this is just that much better.”

The Premier HC system can be integrated with the company's Premier MDR (Moving Die Rheometer), DeLapa said. It is available as a field upgradeable module or can be factory installed with a new instrument.

Alpha said the system allows users to pre-load up to 112 samples for rheological testing. The new technologies allow users to load samples and then walk away from the instrument while it continues to test.

The HC system increases throughput with a reduced footprint and provides an automated solution for customers with high capacity testing requirements, according to the company. The new machine also has demonstrated up to a 42 percent time reduction between tests, which means customers get increased instrument utilization.

In the old model, DeLapa said the trays had to spin, and an arm would come down and take the sample and move it. Now the arm does the work, getting the sample out of the trays, and the trays are stacked. “This one is square as opposed to round, because the arm goes in to get the sample,” she said.

The HC has cleared a long testing cycle, first internally and then in the field at a customer beta site and is ready for commercialization, DeLapa said.

The Premier MV measures viscosity, scorch and stress relaxation of raw elastomers and mixed rubbers. The firm said the instrument features multi-zone stress relaxation data analysis and up to a 45 percent reduction in die cooling time in comparison to previous models.

Other features include standard variable speed rotor; digital temperature controllers; digital motor; automated dead weight calibration; rotor detection to prevent rotor damage; and compact design with integrated utility drawer.

DeLapa added, though, that certain functions of the MV 2000—such as the ease of cleaning and the automated dead weight calibration—were kept in the Premier MV.

It also is fully compatible with Alpha's flagship Enterprise software system. “There's so much that Enterprise does compared with other instrument software in the marketplace,” she said. “It's not just a lab software; it's a business software. It's completely SQL database designed, so it can interface with mixer software and business programs. It can be used in the plant and business, as well as the lab.”

DeLapa said Alpha's pricing structure now includes the software in the cost of the instrument.

Alpha's technical staff, in making the new developments in the Premier line, took input from the sales staff along with a variety of beta customers who were able to test the new concepts, DeLapa said. “It doesn't make sense to build anything if you don't have people who want it,” she said.

Space was one consideration brought up by customers. The new lines also have touch screens and better fan systems for production area usage, according to DeLapa.

The Alpha logo is backlit, a feature that actually is part of the technology upgrade. “It changes color to tell you what's happening with the test,” she said. “So you can tell if you're across the room if it's testing, if it's finished the test, and also if it's passed or failed. It will show up by the color of the light.”

Alpha is working on a new RPA to replace the 2000 series model. DeLapa said RPAs and MDRs take longer for approval because they do more things. The Mooney viscometers, by comparison, are an easier approval for customers.

As for the market, she said customers still think it's kind of slow, but that Alpha's business has been doing well. “The fourth quarter is always the tell-tale time of the year. It's when it gets the busiest because what we're selling is capital expense, and those monies are being released this time of the year for most companies on calendar fiscal years. We're on track for what our goals were for this year.”