Alpha updates RPA to test in sub-ambient temperatures

HUDSON, Ohio—One of Alpha Technologies' latest developments extends the Premier-brand Rubber Process Analyzer's compound testing to include sub-ambient temperatures, arming tire manufacturers with options for more efficient and accurate testing.

The Hudson-based firm, which specializes in rubber rheology testing, has dubbed its new advancement the Premier RPA with Sub-Zero Technology, solidifying the Alpha instrument's reputation as the "most versatile in the market," according to a company news release.

Alpha said the new technology gives tire makers a more accurate way to perform compound testing throughout a wide range of conditions. Traditionally, tire firms would need multiple instruments to run both RPA and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis testings.

Now Alpha customers can use the Premier RPA with Sub-Zero Technology to test for cure characteristics and tire tread performance predictors for rolling resistance, winter traction, handling/cornering and wet traction. It added that the new machine offers sub-ambient testing capabilities without the use of liquid nitrogen down to -25°C, and significantly cuts in-process testing time to as little as 25 minutes.

For customers, that means greater testing capabilities along with the potential to reduce capital spending and operational costs, Alpha said. The sub-ambient operating range also can be useful in automotive anti-vibration systems, sealing technologies and other rubber applications.

"Our new Sub-Zero Technology is a direct response to what we saw as a gap in the market—an opportunity to offer testing capabilities that not only meet new, more demanding test standards, but also make our customers' jobs easier," Alpha Technologies President Neil Friery said in the news release.

The testing equipment firm said the new instrument also guarantees higher accuracy than what's now available on the market. To compensate for volume changes throughout the test, it said the Premier RPA leverages proprietary Precision Dynamic Modulus-brand technology that maintains cavity pressure and measures the actual die gap, for greater repeatability and reproducibility than any other rheometer on the market.

"For us, accuracy is everything," said Jayson Humble, Alpha's senior director of marketing and business development. "It gives tire manufacturers that peace of mind in knowing that they're meeting the highest standards of safety to reduce their risk of failure. Accuracy is about more than dollars and cents. It's about ensuring we're doing our part to keep people safe while on the road."

A Roper Technologies company, Alpha offers a long line of products that measure the dynamic, physical and processability characteristics of rubbers and polymers.

To learn more about the newest innovation, visit alpha-technologies.com/subzero-technology.