Mould fouling is a commonly seen phenomenon in the rubber industry. During vulcanization, a layer is deposited on the wall of the mould which builds up gradually with each subsequent production cycle. This layer, zinc sulfide, is the mayor source of mould fouling. The insoluble zinc sulfide (inorganic fouling) forms condensation centers in which low molecular weight components (organic fouling) such as reaction products and softeners are deposited. In this study an investigation is carried out to overcome this phenomenon. Experiments on different polymers/compounds were carried out on metals, semi- and permanent coatings, and different types of metal oxides. The processes were moulding and injection moulding at different temperatures and production cycles. The study was carried out at TNO and the University Twente and the contract research was in conjunction with PMP (Project management Materials and Processes) Partners and IOP (Innovative Research Project, Government).

BlackBear Carbon has developed a unique sequence of processes for recovering and upgrading carbon black from end-of-life tyres. For decades efforts to make tyre-recycling commercially viable have focused on maximizing the recovery of steel, oil and gases and finding

In veiligheidsschoenen worden kunststoffen veelvuldig toegepast in de zool. Maar ook in de schacht, in de beschermingsneus en in andere beschermende onderdelen spelen ze een belangrijke en steeds belangrijker wordende rol. In het functioneren van een veiligheidsschoen dient met heel veel zaken rekening gehouden te worden: ten eerste moet worden voldaan aan de norm EN ISO 20345 voor veiligheidsschoenen. Hierin staan een groot aantal veiligheids- en kwaliteitscriteria voorgeschreven (zoals weerstand tegen impact, penetratieweerstand, buigweerstand, slijtweerstand, olie- en zuurbestendigheid, slipweerstand, elektrische weerstand en hechting tussen verschillende lagen). Ten tweede dient de schoen de biomechanische functie van de voet te ondersteunen: alle veiligheids- en kwaliteitscriteria mogen het loopcomfort van de gebruiker natuurlijk niet ondermijnen. Dit stelt eisen aan de hardheid maar ook de flexibiliteit van de schoen. Ten derde verwachten mensen dat de schoen een redelijke levensduur heeft, ook onder de zwaarste werkomstandigheden. En ten laatste moeten schoenen ook nog effici

Propeller shafts of sea going vessels are in 85% of the cases traditionally sealed by lip-type stern tube seals. AEGIR-Marine is a maker independent service provider on stern tube seals and propulsion systems for the world wide marine market. This gives us a total overview of the different products and the strong and weak points of certain solutions. When AEGIR decided to create her own seals, this knowledge was used to offer improved solutions to her customers. Together with technology partners and research institutes, AEGIR has developed a seal that has a generally better performance in operations. However, with increasing dry-dock intervals and the increasing use of water lubrication, biodegradable oils etc., the need of further improvement continues. AEGIR is determined to continue to co-operate and to invest in R&D for her products to meet tomorrows demands.

Nowadays in Europe there is just one standard (EN 681-1) dealing with rubbers for use in contact with water. This standard has a number of classes but basically there are only two differences dealt with; for use in cold water systems and for use in hot water systems. In practice rubbers are used in more different applications. As there are: