Diverse crosslinking chemistries utilized in silicone elastomers are explored, focusing on their applications in the medical field and highlighting recent advancements, challenges and prospects in enhancing the performance and biocompatibility of silicone elastomers
Read MorePatent News as compiled by the editors of Rubber World for August 2024. Low-dielectric rubber resin material and low-dielectric metal
Read MoreROEMHELD redesigns sturdy and safe arch clamps for presses, injection molding, rubber and forging applications. For the harshest applications, as well as dirty, hot environments up to 250° C
Read MoreThe soft electrodes developed by Klas Tybrandt’s research group at Linköping University are stretchable to follow the body’s movements without damaging tissue. They consist of extremely thin threads of gold and soft silicone rubber. “The classical conductors used in electronics are metals, which are very hard and rigid. The mechanical properties of the nervous system are more reminiscent of soft jelly. In order to get an accurate signal transmission, we need to get very close to the nerve fibers in question, but as the body is constantly in motion, achieving close contact between something that is hard and something that is soft and fragile becomes a problem”, says Klas Tybrandt, professor of materials science at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at Linköping University, who led the research.
Read MoreIndia’s Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) reports that June 2024 saw actual natural rubber availability at merely 30,000 tons, falling significantly short of the projected 60,000 tons.
The crisis deepened in July, with ATMA noting an almost complete halt in natural rubber sales for most of the month. This scarcity has had wide-ranging impacts across the rubber industry, affecting both small and medium enterprises as well as major tire manufacturers.
Rajiv Budhraja, Director General, ATMA, highlighted the severity of the situation, stating, “Some tire plants of ATMA member companies have witnessed production sliding over 10 per cent in July owing to the natural rubber crunch. Production planning is in total disarray.”
Read MoreThe global rubber molding market is poised for significant expansion, with its valuation projected to reach USD 54.2 billion by 2024 and surge to USD 109.3 billion by 2034 according to Future Market Insights. This robust growth is anticipated at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3% throughout the forecast period. The increase in demand for rubber molding is driven by its wide applications across various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and consumer goods, where it plays a crucial role in producing high-quality, durable components. As industries continue to advance and seek more efficient manufacturing solutions, the rubber molding market is set to experience substantial development and opportunity.
Read MoreASTM International’s recovered carbon black (rCB) committee (D36) is developing a proposed standard that will guide users of rCB on how long the material can be stored and the effect that prolonged storage might have on rCB.
Read MoreA research team from Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences has developed and validated a liquid single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip named “HbGBTS80K,” which includes 80,080 SNPs evenly distributed across 18 chromosomes. This SNP chip effectively distinguished 404 rubber accessions into four groups in population genetic diversity analysis and detected the major gene HbPSK5 in GWAS for the number of laticifer rings. The HbGBTS80K chip is a valuable tool for accelerating functional studies and molecular breeding in rubber trees, addressing the inefficiencies of traditional breeding methods.
Read MoreThe president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly), Dr. Winston “Wole” Soboyejo, and postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Tabiri Kwayie Asumadu, have published a revolutionary new paper titled, “Robust Macroscale Superlubricity on Carbon-Coated Metallic Surfaces.” This paper explores an innovative approach to reducing friction on metallic surfaces – a significant advancement that could have major real-world impacts.
These findings are significant for a number of practical reasons. In the automotive industry, more than 30 percent of fuel in passenger vehicles is used to overcome friction, so these novel coatings can help to drastically improve fuel efficiency. In manufacturing and industrial machinery, they could help to reduce wear and tear, leading to massive cost savings and decreasing the 1-4% of countries’ GDP that is spent on friction-related equipment issues. In electronic devices, friction at a minute scale can present large-scale challenges that coatings could help to alleviate.
Tire manufacturers require adaptable storage capacities, conveying systems and dosing systems that are customizable for each raw material, in addition to needing an automation concept that includes track and trace solutions.
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