I.

Introduction

Rubber is a specific type of polymer called elastomer: a large molecule that

can be stretched to at least twice its original length and returned to its original
shape. Early forms of rubber had many glue-like properties, especially in
hot weather. In cold temperatures, rubber became hard and brittle. Polymers have
distinct additives which classified into four: the filler, added primarily to provide
reinforcement and secondly to reduce cost; plasticizer, reduce hardness with a
given level of filler, and can help with filler incorporation and dispersion; colorants,
is similar as to a dyes but this colorant is dissolves in the polymer and the last is the
flame retardant, To improve their flame resistance a number of products may be
added to the compound, either inorganic or organic.

Every machine plays a major role in occupying each processes of a given

product which makes the product precisely in the exact length, width, or any other
specification that required by the costumers and lessen the productivity errors
because machine are run by its program according to its command.

Rubber has become an important natural polymer in society. We make rubber

from rubber trees (natural latex) and from oil (synthetic rubber). We use both types
of rubber in many products. Like the Mesoamericans (Aztecs and Mayans) before
them, athletes and children today play with rubber balls. Of course, the most
common use for rubber is in automotive tires. But pencil erasers, shoes, gloves,
dental dams and condoms contain the ubiquitous substance, too. In many products,
rubber is added as a protective coating for either weatherproofing or shockproofing.

II. Definition of Terms

Accelerator
A chemical which speeds up the vulcanization reaction. This allows the rubber
to cure in a shorter timeframe, at a lower temperature or both.

Autoclave

A vessel that vulcanizes rubber products in a pressurized steam

environment.

Backrinding
Tearing or distortion of a moulded rubber product at the line of separation of
the mould pieces. Factors which can have an influence on backrinding are blank
weight, blank shape, temperature, moulding pressure and breathe cycles.

Carbon black
A black pigment and reinforcement filler used in rubbers. Carbon black is a
form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio. The degree
of reinforcement increases with decreasing particle size.
Compound
A term applied to a mixture of polymers, reinforcements, curatives and other
ingredients to produce a rubber material. The compound is prepared according to a
prescribed formula and mixing process.

Copolymer
A polymer composed from two different monomers, for example an NBR
composed of polybutadiene and acrylonitrile.

Cure time
The required amount of time needed to complete the curing process to a predetermined level. The time taken to cure is dependent on the temperature, material
type and section of the rubber profile.

Curing temperature
The temperature at which vulcanization takes place.

Elastomer (also known as rubber)

A general term used to describe both natural and synthetic polymers

possessing the ability to return to their original shape after the deforming force is
removed.

Microwave curing
Vulcanization of rubbers by heat produced by high frequency radiation.

Mill
A machine with two counter-rotating rolls used for rubber mastication,
mixing or sheeting.

Mould shrinkage
Dimensional loss in a moulded rubber product that occurs during cooling
after it has been removed from the mould.

Plasticizer
A substance, usually a heavy liquid or oil, which is added to an elastomer to
decrease stiffness, improve low temperature properties, reduce cost and/or improve
processing.

Polymer
Literally means many units and is a large molecule constructed from many
smaller monomers.

Shrinkage
The reduction in size upon cooling of a moulded rubber part.

III. Polymers
The polymer, or blend of polymers, is the fundamental component in
determining the properties of the compound. It is selected to optimize service
performance and processing requirements while also taking cost into account. Very
high molecular weight polymers can for example produce extremely tough
materials. They can however lead to problems with poor flow, poor joins and
particularly backrinding.
Polymers made up of two types of monomer are known as copolymers or
dipolymers, while those made from three are called terpolymers.

Figure 1: Single Monomer units polymerized to form a polymer

Figure 2: Two different monomers from a copolymer( or dipolymer)

Figure 3: Three different monomers form a terpolymer.

IV. Polymers Additives

Polymer additives are similar and controlled by the molecular structure. The
entired type of polymers additives are the fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, colorants,
and flame retardant. Each of the type of polymers additives have their own
purposes to enhance and modify many properties.

Fillers

Fillers are added primarily to provide reinforcement and secondly to

reduce cost. They fall into two basic categories: reinforcing or semireinforcing, and diluent.
The most popular reinforcing and semi reinforcing fillers are carbon
blacks, which are categorized primarily by means of particle size. Carbon
blacks and nonblack fillers become more reinforcing as particle size
decreases. Highly reinforcing fillers can make a compound tough, which can
result in poor flow. Carbon blacks are alkaline in nature and tend to
accelerate cure.
Diluent, or non-reinforcing, fillers have a large particle size and do not
'bond' to the polymer in the same way as reinforcing fillers. They are mainly
added to reduce cost. Examples include soft clay, calcium carbonate, and
talc.
Plasticizers
Plasticizers need to be compatible with the polymer. They reduce
hardness with a given level of filler, and can help with filler incorporation and
dispersion. Special types of plasticizer can improve the low temperature
flexibility of some rubber types like, nitrile and neoprene. Process aids can
also assist with filler dispersion, although they are normally added to improve
processability downstream. High levels of plasticizer/process aid can bloom to
the surface of make-up and give knitting problems (flow marks and poor
joins) in the manufactured product. They can also create difficulties when
bonding to metal. Excessive softening of the compound can lead to air
trapping in the mould.
Plasticizers can also cause problems when a product is subjected to
thermal cycling or certain solvents, as they can leach out at high
temperatures and adversely affect the low temperature properties.

Colorants
Colorants may play a major role is a coloring agent for polymer. This
colorant is similar as to a dyes but this colorant is dissolves in the polymer.
Pigments are filler materials that do not dissolve, but remain as a separate
phrase, normally they have a small particles size and a refractive index near
to that parent polymer.
Flame Retardants
Most elastomers support combustion, and the resulting by-products
can be extremely hazardous. To improve their flame resistance a number of
products may be added to the compound, either inorganic or organic. They

include antimony trioxide, zinc borate, aluminium hydroxide and chlorinated

paraffins.
Flame retardants are added to different materials or applied as a
treatment to materials to prevent fires from starting, limit the spread of fire
and minimize fire damage. Some flame retardants work effectively on their
own; others act as synergists to increase the fire protective benefits of
other flame retardants. A variety of flame retardants is necessary because
materials that need to be made fire-resistant are very different in their
physical nature and chemical composition, so they behave differently during
combustion. The elements in flame retardants also react differently with fire.
As a result, flame retardants have to be matched appropriately to each type
of material. Flame retardants work to stop or delay fire, but, depending on
their chemical makeup, they interact at different stages of the fire cycle. To
better understand how flame retardants work, its helpful to understand the
fire cycle:

Initial ignition source can be any energy source (e.g., heat,

incandescent material, a small flame).
Ignition source causes the material to burn and decompose (pyrolysis),
releasing flammable gases.
If solid materials do not break down into gases, they remain in a
condensed phase. During this phase, they will slowly smolder and,
often, self-extinguish, especially if they char, meaning the material
creates a carbonated barrier between the flame and the underlying
material.
In the gas phase, flammable gases released from the material are
mixed with oxygen from the air. In the combustion zone, or the burning
phase, fuel, oxygen and free radicals combine to create chemical
reactions that cause visible flames to appear. The fire then becomes
self-sustaining because, as it continues to burn the material, more
flammable gases are released, feeding the combustion process.

When flame retardants are present in the material, they can act in three key
ways to stop the burning process. They may work to:

Disrupt the combustion stage of a fire cycle, including avoiding or

delaying flashover, or the burst of flames that engulfs a room and
makes it much more difficult to escape.
Limit the process of decomposition by physically insulating the
available fuel sources from the material source with a fire-resisting
char layer.

Dilute the flammable gases and oxygen concentrations in the flame

formation zone by emitting water, nitrogen or other inert gases.

V. Machine used in the Manufacturing Rubber Products:

Roll Mill
Rubber is a material that shares some of the properties of both solid
and liquid. Tough raw natural rubber will be loaded into a mill, where counterrotating steel rollers grind it into a softened, semi-fluid mass. This action, in
the presence of oxygen in the air, tears the long, chain-like rubber molecules
into shorter lengths. The rubber becomes softer and easier to process, and it
readily accepts any other ingredients that may be needed to create a
"compound". A compound is the total combination of the rubber polymer and
modifiers, such as reinforcing fillers, oils, pigments, antioxidants,
vulcanization chemicals, and any other polymer additives.

Strip Cutting Machine

This invention relates to a machine for cutting sheets of material into
any desired predetermined lengths, and is particularly to a rubber strip
cutting machine. Objects of this invention are to provide a machine which will
cut rubber strips into any desired length at a point in the process immediately
following the operation of the calender or tubing machine, so that the
continuous strip or sheet of rubber is fed directly from the calender or tubing
machine to the cutting machine, and means are provided for carrying the
severed strips from the cutting machine at a higher rate of speed than the
travel of the sheet of stock material so that such cut strips may be delivered
in an orderly manner into the press room or other suitable part of the factory.
When it is considered that the material which this machine is adapted
to handle and cut is of an easily deformed type, it is to be appreciated that
the usual modes of controlling sheet material by means of stops against
which the material strikes, or by passing the material between contact
actuating members, is unserviceable and inoperative where the material as
described above.
This invention, however, is designed to overcome the defects noted
above which result from the distortion of the strip and its failure to operate
the devices, and objects of such invention are to provide a novel form of strip
cutting machine which is adapted to operate upon easily deformed flexible

and yielding stock, and which is so constructed that the exact width or length
of the strips may be maintained throughout the operation of the machine.

Mandrel Machine
An object used to shape machine works, tool components that grips or
clamps materials to be machined and a tool component that can be used to
grip other moving tool components. Also used in industrial composite
fabrication such as in filament winding. During the manufacturing process,
resin-impregnated filaments are wound around a mandrel to create
a composite material structure or part. The structure is cured and the
mandrel is removed. One problem with this type of process is that the
mandrel can be very difficult to remove once the part has been cured. As a
result, engineers have created a new type of mandrel that has the ability to
change shape and be easily extracted. When heated above a certain
temperature, the mandrel becomes elastic and can be manipulated into the
desired shape and then cooled to become rigid again in the new shape. It can
then be used in the filament winding process.

Autoclave
An autoclave is a device used for sterilization that supplies by
subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam at 121 C for around 1520
minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents.
Most buffers and other solutions used in any lab are sterilized before
use to prevent bacterial and fungal growth during storage. There are two
basic techniques for sterilizing solutions: autoclaving and sterile filtration.
Most buffers and other salt solutions are autoclaved, because filtration of
large volumes is time-consuming and disposable sterile filters are expensive.
However, before autoclaving any solution you should always check whether it
contains any heat labile ingredients. If it does, the heat-labile substance will
usually have to be prepared separately, filter-sterilized, and added to the
remainder of the solution after autoclaving.

VI. What is Vulcanization?

The word vulcanization may we connect about rubber but what means
is just putting air to expand and can be used as a finished product but totally
this word has a broad section of terms and meaning. Vulcanization is an
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irreversible process during which a rubber compound, through a change in its

chemical structure cross-linking, becomes less plastic and more resistant to
swelling by organic liquids. The result is that elastic properties are conferred,
improved, or extended over a wide range of temperature. The term
vulcanization was originally employed to denote the process of heating
rubber with sulfur, but has been extended to include any process with any
combination of materials which produces this effect. Vulcanization can be
carried out under numerous conditions.

VII. Rubber Hose Manufacturing Flow Chart

Rubber

Milling
Process

Cutting
Process

Final Layering
Process

Verification

Initial
Layering
Process

Microwave
Curing
Process

Vulcanization
Process

Trimming
Process

Shipment

Packaging

VIII. Rubber Hoses Manufacturing Process

Factory makes a low pressure and medium pressure rubber hoses. The intended use
is what determines the rubber composition. Function also determines the color
because the industrial hoses are now often color coded.

The rubber arrives with a factory from the supplier in roll strip. The first step is to
run a through a mill. The roller heat the rubber softening and smoothening it to an
even texture.

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The next machine

the precise width
the size of hose

cuts the rubber in strips to

and thickness required for
they're going to construct.

Workers lubricate a steel mandrel that see exact size of the hoses bore. As the
mandrel spins, they wrap a rubber strip around it, measuring and layering if
necessary to build the thickness thereafter.

Next, they add one or more reinforcement

layers. This strip is made of high strength
synthetic fabric that's been coated in
rubber. It design to withstand the pressure
to which the holes to be subjected.

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The last layer of rubber forms the hoses outside covering. After verifying that the
final diameter is correct, they wrap the entire hose construction tightly in wet nylon
tape. The tape would later shrink and compress all the materials together.

This factory also makes hoses with a bilt in attachment on the end. They position on
the mandrel, glue the first layer of rubber through it then they reinforced the bond
with special textile strips and tightly round high strength carbon steel wire. They
continue the wire more loosely down the body of the hose as the specific angle
design to withstand vacuum pressure.

Carbon steel wire

Bilt in Attachment

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Then they wrap the hose in soft stretchy rubber

strips that fills the gaps between the wires.

Next comes the layer of high strength rubber coated fabric then finally the exterior
covering. Light blue rubber for the model.

They pressure wrap again with wet nylon

tape then to make the hose more flexible,
they create corrugations by wrapping it
tightly in rope. Whats under the ropes
compact creating a dip.

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They add another layer of nylon tape to

hold the rope in place. When construction
is finished, the hoses on their respective
mandrills go in to an "auto clave" a
cylindrical chamber into which they feed
hot steam at high pressure.

This vulcanization process has it called, triggered a chemical reaction that cures the
rubber to make it elastic. As the hoses come out and cool, the worker remove the
shrunk tape. The layers are solidly compress. They wash the nylon tape and then
rewind and reuse it.

Now workers begin the process of removing the hose

from the mandrels. They tight one end with a rope to
create a pressure

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then gently pump water between the mandrill and

rubber. The lubricant they applied earlier has
prevented the rubber from sticking to the steel so the
hoses separate easily.

They simply slide it off from the mandrel. Workers will now trim the ends, cut the
hose to length for customer ordered then coiled and package the hose.

IX. References:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-synthetic-rubber.htm

http://www.google.com/patents/US1684158

http://www.most.gov.mm/techuni/media/PR_02034_13.pdf
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Elastomer Engineering Guide 7; James Walker

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