Today's News
Goodyear Blimps to soar over Akron in centennial celebration
In a historic tribute to a century of aviation excellence, Goodyear is set to launch all three of its iconic blimps—Wingfoot One, Wingfoot Two, and Wingfoot Three—into the skies over Akron, Ohio, this week. The event marks the 100th anniversary of the Goodyear Blimp, a symbol that has become synonymous with American innovation and aerial spectacle.
Apollo Tyres achieves gold rating in EcoVadis sustainability assessment
Apollo Tyres Ltd has received the prestigious Gold Rating from EcoVadis, the world’s leading provider of business sustainability ratings. This accomplishment places Apollo Tyres in the top 5% of all companies globally, across industries, reflecting company’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, ethical business practices and social responsibility.
Enviro’s founder received the Lifetime Achievement Award for sustainable tire recycling
Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) founder Bengt Sture Ershag received the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Recircle Awards. Ershag received the award for his lifelong efforts to create a more sustainable handling of end-of-life tires.
Wacker presents new gap filler for electromobility at Battery Show Europe
WACKER is all set to unveil a selection of silicone products for e-mobility applications at this year’s Battery Show Europe. The company will particularly focus on a new thermally conductive gap filler for applications in power electronics. Commercially available as SEMICOSIL® 9649 TC, this silicone product can withstand high thermal stresses. It ensures that the electronic components have a lasting bond with a vehicle’s active and passive cooling systems. The heat generated when a vehicle is in operation is thus efficiently dissipated. The Battery Show Europe will be held in Stuttgart, Germany, from June 3 to 5.
Goodyear to participate in TD Cowen Future of The Consumer Conference
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company said it will participate in a fireside chat during TD Cowen’s 9th Annual Future of The Consumer Conference on June 4, 2025, at 8:45 a.m. ET.
Itay Michaeli, senior analyst at TD Cowen, will host Mark W. Stewart, chief executive officer and president, and Christina L. Zamarro, executive vice president and chief financial officer, in a fireside chat. A live webcast of the event will be available on the company’s investor relations website: http://investor.goodyear.com. A replay of the webcast will be available following the event.
Michelin announces the construction of an industrial demonstrator in France for the 5-HMF molecule
Michelin announces the construction of an initial industrial demonstration unit for the 5-HMF molecule. This bio-sourced and non-toxic molecule can replace ingredients derived from fossil fuels in a wide variety of industrial fields. This unit, which will be located on the Osiris platform in Péage en Roussillon, France, will have an annual production capacity of 3,000 metric tons, making this site the largest production site in the world for this molecule. This project represents a total investment of EUR 60 million, partly subsidized by the ADEME in France and the CBE JU1 at European level. It will allow for the creation of approximately 30 direct jobs and should begin its activities during 2026.
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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