Describe about the Process of Rubber Manufacturing

1. Process of Rubber Manufacturing
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2. Process

The methods of manufacturing rubber are similar
for all producers World-Wide. Variances
however, may occur regarding specific
compounds, each manufacturer’s production
methods and levels of sophistication.
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3. Formulation and Mixing of
Rubber Compounds
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VIP-Polymers process a variety of rubber materials,
both natural and synthetic, into compounds suitable
to face the most challenging performance and
environmental criteria. Natural rubbers are supplied
from traditional countries in the Far East such as
Malaysia and Indonesia. Synthetic rubber is
primarily manufactured at chemical plants in
Industrial Europe and the U.S.A. On its own, basic
rubber is of little use and must be formulated to
make it suitable for manufacture and to ensure
desired properties in finished products.

4. How rubber products are
manufactured

Industrial Rubber components are usually
manufactured by one of the following methods:

Injection Moulding - Using strip compound produced
as previously described.
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Compression Moulding - Requires secondary
operations to process material into suitable forms
of the correct weight and/or shape to suit particular
products.

Extrusion - Using strip compound produced as
previously described.
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Injection and Compression moulding requires highly
accurate single or multi-cavity moulds, typically made

5. Injection Moulding

Injection moulding has a number of elements
operating automatically on timed sequences with
moulding temperatures usually between 165°C
and 200°C.
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6. Compression Moulding

This simpler process is slower in operation than
injection moulding in that special uncured
preformed and weighed blanks are used. The
process employs hydraulic presses with pre-
heated platens at (150-170°C) that in turn heat
up the mould.
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7. Extrusion
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Extrusion is used for either of two functions:

Manufacture of long lengths of cured sections for
fabrication of items too large for injection or
compression moulding.
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The production of blanks for compression
moulding.
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8. Continuous Vulcanisation
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VIP-Polymers utilise a manufacturing process
known as Continuous Vulcanisation for
production of cured extrusion for conversion into
certain finished products as follows.

Two items of machinery are required for this
process:
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An extruder with a barrel and screw, and a die of
correct cross-section at the outlet end.
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A heating source to cure the rubber which may
be one of the following:
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A hot air oven.

9. 
The "Continuous Vulcanisation" process is as
follows:
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Strip rubber is fed into the extruder. It is then
plasticised by the screw and extruded through the
die orifice. The extruder operates under controlled
conditions of temperature and screw speed.
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The continuous extrudate is passed down the
heating medium which causes it to cure. Again,
speed and temperature are accurately controlled.
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The emerging cured profile is cooled and cut to
length automatically or rolled onto drums for
Continuous Vulcanisation

10. 
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