Synthetic Rubber
Synthetic rubber is any type of artificially made polymer material which acts as an elastomer. It can undergo much more elastic deformation under stress than most materials and still return to its previous size without permanent deformation. Synthetic rubber serves as a substitute for natural rubber in many cases, especially when improved material properties are needed. It is now an essential component in tyres manufacturing.
Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)
SBR is predominantly used for the production of car and light truck tires and truck tire retread compounds. A complete list of the uses of SBR includes houseware mats, drain board trays, shoe sole and heels, chewing gum, food container sealants, tires, conveyor belts, sponge articles, adhesives and caulks, automobile mats, brake and clutch pads, hose, V- belts, flooring, military tank pads, hard rubber battery box cases, extruded gaskets, rubber toys, moulded rubber goods, shoe soling, cable insulation and jacketing, pharmaceutical, surgical, and sanitary products, food packaging, etc.
Nitrile Butadiene (NBR)
NBR is a form of synthetic rubber is generally inferior in strength and flexibility but has high level of resistance to oil, grease, fuel, and other chemicals. Its resilience makes NBR the perfect material for disposable lab, cleaning, and examination gloves.
In the automotive industry, it is used to make fuel and oil handling hoses, seals and grommets. NBR’s ability to withstand a range of temperatures from -40°C to +120°C makes it an ideal material for extreme automotive applications. It can also be used to create moulded goods, footwear, adhesives, sealants, sponge, belting and floor mats.
Poly Butadiene
Poly Butadiene is a synthetic rubber that has a high resistance to wear and is used especially in the manufacture of tyres. It has also been used to coat or encapsulate electronic assemblies, offering extremely high electrical resistivity. It exhibits a recovery of 80% after stress is applied, a value only exceeded by elastin and resilin.
The major use of polybutadiene is in tyres with over 70% of the polymer produced going into treads and sidewalls. Cured BR imparts excellent abrasion resistance (good tread wear), and low rolling resistance (good fuel economy). Polybutadiene is usually blended with other elastomers like natural rubber or styrene-butadiene rubber for tread compounds. Other applications include polystyrene for injection molding applications and golf balls.
Poly Isoprene
Though Poly Isoprene has lower strength, hot tear and aged properties and slower cure rates than natural rubber, it is superior in mixing, extrusion, molding and calendering processes. It is widely used in applications where such conditions are required - low water swell, high gum tensile strength, good resilience, high hot tesile and good tack.
Most common applications include rubber bands, baby bottle nipples, extruded hose, footwear and sporting goods. It can be found in tyres, motor mounts, gaskets, shock absorber bushingset.
Poly Isoprene can also be adapted for curing in molding activities. Its uniform cure rate enables the establishment of exact time/temperature press cycles.
Butyl
Because of butyl polymers’ unique characteristics, barrier properties - high damping, resistance to ozone, heat and chemical and very low permeability to air, gases and moisture, butyl is ideal for many tyres and automotive applications, healthcare and medical equipments, industrial and construction usage and adhesive and even chewing gum! Butyl rubber is, in fact, the only rubber that is impermeable to air.
In the tyres and automotive industries, butyl polymers can be used for innerliner, non staining black sidewall, white sidewall, treading compound, heat resistant hose and dynamic parts including the body mounts. In medical industry, it can be found in protective clothing and closures for bottles.
It is also used in tank linings, conveyors belts and condenser packing. Added to asphalt compositions, it improves the weathering and low temperature properties of asphalt, increase toughness, impact and abrasion resistance. It is used extensively in manufacturing of roofing materials.
EPDM (Ethylene-Propylene-Diene-Monomers)
EPDM rubber (ethylene propylene diene rubber) is an elastomer which is characterized by wide range of applications. EPDM rubber is used in automotive weather-stripping and seals, radiators, garden and appliance hose, tubing, washers, belts, electrical insulations, roofing membrane, geo-membranes, rubber mechanical goods, plastic impact modification, thermoplastic vulcanizates, motor oil additive applications.
Silicone Rubber
Silicone Rubber is used in mechanical engineering like shaft sealing rings, spark plug caps, radiator and automotive heating hoses, O-rings, corona and embossing roller gaskets, window and door seals, expansion joints etc. It is also used in electrical engineering application, for cables and cable terminations, corona-resistant insulation tubing, keyboards and contact mats, conductive profiled seals.
Its usage in medical applications includes tubing for dialysis and transfusion equipment, bellows for artificial respirators, catheters, dummies for babies.
Neoprene Rubber / Polychloroprene Rubber
Neoprene rubber is one of the best all-purpose elastomers where resistance to ozone, sunlight, oxidation and many petroleum derivatives are of prime importance. Its added advantages include good resistance to water, many chemicals, good resilience characteristics and tensile strength properties. It is often found in moulds and extruded rubber products.
Special-purpose rubber
We also trade in special-purpose rubbers such as Polyacrylic rubber (ABR), Epichlorohydrin rubber (ECO), Polysulfide Rubber Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene (CSM).
