Today's News

Orion S.A. to reduce production of carbon black in the Americas and EMEA

Orion S.A. announced it plans to discontinue production at three to five of its carbon black lines at multiple facilities in the Americas and EMEA by the end of 2025.

“This decision is part of Orion’s strategy to focus maintenance investments on higher-performing production lines – making them more reliable and productive – and to rationalize underperforming assets,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said.

Ashland to close two facilities as part of $60 million optimization

Note to readers, this article was corrected to reflect that it is the Parlin, New Jersey plant closure and not Calvert City, KY facility.

Goodyear names Ryan Reed, vice president investor relations

Reed brings more than 15 years of experience in investor relations, corporate development and financial planning and analysis to Goodyear. He most recently served as vice president, Corporate Development, Investor Relations, and FP&A at Wabash National. Prior to Wabash, Reed held senior roles at Parker Hannifin, including director of Investor Relations and corporate economist. Reed holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Baldwin Wallace University and a master’s degree in economics and finance from the University of Leeds.

BASF closes purchase of DOMO Chemicals’ shares in Alsachimie joint venture

BASF has finalized the purchase of DOMO Chemicals’ 49% share in the Alsachimie joint venture, making the company the sole owner of the production entity for essential polyamide (PA) 6.6 precursors, including KA-oil, adipic acid, and hexamethylenediamine adipate (AH salt) in Chalampé, France. The parties have agreed to not disclose financial details of the transaction.

Arkema announces the construction of a new polyamide unit on its Singapore platform

After starting up its state-of-the-art plant in Singapore and thus increasing its global Rilsan® polyamide 11 capacity by 50%, Arkema announces the construction of a new Rilsan® Clear transparent polyamide unit on its Singapore platform. The new capacity represents an investment of around US$20 million and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2026.

Global Polymer Summit 2025 announces Keynote Speakers

The inaugural Global Polymer Summit (GPS) 2025 unveiled its distinguished keynote speakers, who will bring powerful insights and industry expertise to this premier event. Set to take place this fall, GPS 2025 promises to be a landmark gathering for professionals across the polymer and rubber industries.

Attendees are encouraged to register early—conference pricing increases on August 1, and housing reservations close August 15. Book your room within the official hotel block for a chance to win a $500 Visa gift card.

Mixing

Simulation of rubber formulation development using AI-Graf Compounder

Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into rubber compound development is said to mark a transformative step in materials science, and the authors explore the use of AIGraf Compounder software to simulate and optimize rubber formulations. By leveraging feedforward neural networks, the system can predict material properties based on ingredient compositions.

Chemicals and Materials

Goodyear sells off Chemical Business to Gemspring Capital Management

Pursuant to the transaction terms, Gemspring will pay Goodyear cash proceeds at closing of approximately $650 million, subject to certain post-closing adjustments, for Goodyear Chemical facilities in Houston and Beaumont, Texas, and a related research office in Akron, Ohio. Additionally, the transaction provides for a long-term supply agreement.

Extrusion

Continuous extrusion to cut energy costs and improve quality

By using high precision continuous extrusion with an integral, built-in gear pump, it is possible to move away from old style mills, which have a huge footprint, and generally include plenty of safety hazards. Continuous extrusion removes the need for ramping up production in batches, which simplifies and accelerates preparation; and also separates materials input from production output. Current users report that this improves both control of production and quality.

Silicone & Medical

Wevo launches supersoft silicone potting compounds for advanced electronics

Wevo has unveiled three new silicone-based potting compounds designed to meet the growing demands of modern electronic components. The WEVOSIL 22106 FL, 22102 FL, and 22105 FL compounds offer a unique combination of supersoft consistency, thermal conductivity, and mechanical resilience, making them ideal for sensitive and thermally demanding applications.

Oil, Gas & Energy

Advanced perfluoroelastomers: The preferred sealing solution for oil and gas

The technology for sealing has considerably advanced since it was first developed in the late 1800s. It is crucial to

Testing & Instruments

Rubber testing equipment market forecast at $21 billion by 2035

The global Rubber Testing Equipment Market is poised for steady expansion, with its market value expected to grow from USD 15,686.3 million in 2025 to USD 21,081.0 million by 2035, marking a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.0% over the forecast period. As manufacturers across industries seek advanced solutions to ensure product durability, performance, and compliance, the demand for high-precision rubber testing equipment continues to rise.

Molding

Elmet SMARTshot I to use AI intelligence to control mold flow

The pioneering “I” technology is based on online rheometry for continuously optimizing the process and determining the actual material viscosity in the shear rate range of relevance to injection molding. This technology uses a mathematical relationship between the volumetric flow rate of the injection molding machine, the geometric constraints of the cold runner, and the shear force at the needle to identify and quantify batch-to-batch fluctuations. This turns the cold runner into rheological measuring instrument.

In learning mode, the system automatically detects the volume of material required to fill a cavity, so facilitating setup and optimization, especially with family molds with a number of cavities of differing sizes. Ready for integrating artificial intelligence (AI), the system is set in future to be able to support self-controlled injection molding machines if SMARTshot I control is integrated into the machine at a later date.

Thermoplastic Elastomers & Urethanes

Huntsman extends automotive portfolio with intumescent coating

Huntsman has launched a new intumescent polyurethane coating system developed for automotive applications, which can provide passive fire protection to metal and composite substrates used in electric vehicles (EVs) – without compromising design flexibility. POLYRESYST® EV5005 polyurethane coating system has been developed to help protect structural integrity and improve fire protection in battery cells – a key challenge in the automotive industry.

Latex and Natural Rubber

Latex Foam and its applications

by Boontham Nithi-Uthai, consultant Latex foam was industrially created in 1929 by Dunlop Rubber. The latex was foamed with fatty

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