Today's News
ARPM announces seals product design and manufacturing training for July
The Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM) announced the return of its highly acclaimed Seals Product Design and Manufacturing Training, taking place July 14–18, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This intensive, week-long training course is designed for professionals looking to deepen their expertise in rubber science and seal design for both static and dynamic applications. The curriculum emphasizes producibility and technical mastery, empowering participants to optimize seal performance and improve production outcomes.
Engel opens new Tech Centre in Switzerland
The new Tech Centre includes modern training and office facilities as well as a hands-on application center. At the heart of the installation are two ENGEL injection molding machines: a tie-bar-less victory electric in medical configuration with a clamping force of 500 kN and a fully electric e-mac with 1,000 kN, equipped with an easix articulated robot. Both machines are fitted with the full range of digital assistance systems from the ENGEL iQ product family. These smart solutions help processors increase process stability and efficiency while significantly reducing production costs
Speakers set for 44th annual Tire Society conference
The Tire Society announces its 44th Annual Conference, to be held September 23-25, 2025, at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. The Conference theme is Rolling Towards Sustainability: Tires for A Greener Future. This premier technical event for new tire science and technology will include a Keynote Address, a Plenary Lecture, an awards banquet with an invited speaker, and more than twenty-five technical presentations by tire scientists from around the world. Registration includes play-on-demand replays of the technical presentations and annual Tire Society membership, which provides full access to over 50 years of articles from the Journal of Tire Science and Technology.
Bridgestone launches all-new Turanza EverDrive touring tire
Nashville, TN – Bridgestone announced the debut of the all-new Bridgestone Turanza EverDrive touring tire. Backed by an 80,000-mile limited
Kraiburg TPEs are durable and pet-safe
KRAIBURG TPE’s compounds are designed with safety in mind. They are free from potentially harmful substances such as heavy metals, latex, PVC, and phthalates—making them a safe choice for pet toys.
These materials are also highly durable, with strong resistance to tearing, abrasion, chemicals, and repeated bending, enabling long-lasting use.
Bridgestone to permanently close LaVergne facility, 658 employees affected
Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC has officially filed a WARN Notice with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, confirming the permanent closure of its manufacturing facility in LaVergne, Tennessee. The closure will result in the layoff of 658 employees, with operations set to cease beginning July 31.
Featured
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
Kraiburg introduces new Thermolast H compounds for medical tubing
KRAIBURG TPE introduces the new THERMOLAST® H compounds designed to meet the strict requirements of medical tubing. With flexibility, kink resistance, chemical compatibility, colorability, and other specialized benefits, THERMOLAST® H TPEs deliver a safe, smart, and sustainable material solution for a wide range of medical and healthcare applications. Ideal for the development of next-generation IV lines, external catheters, and customized tubing such as peristaltic, drainage, short-term use feeding tubes, and more.
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
Researchers develop soft sensor system to study rubber components
A research team from the University of Akron, supported by funding from Hyundai NGV, has developed a soft sensor system designed to study the behavior of rubber components in automotive pneumatic systems. This academic effort, published in Smart Materials and Structures on February 27, 2025, represents a step towards advancing knowledge, as no prior research has specifically explored the use of soft sensors to examine rubber performance in this context.
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
The May Issue of Rubber World
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Extrusion
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