Often, design engineers do not realize how critical the initial compound is to the entire design process. Change a little on the accelerators or age resistors, and your finished compound meets or misses the industry standards to which your part must fully comply.
Developing the right compound (material) is a crucial step in the design process. In their original state, most rubber polymers have limited commercial value. Therefore, a compound "recipe" must be developed to enhance or add to a polymer's inherent physical and chemical characteristics, and to ensure efficient molding or extruding. In creating the proper recipe, a compounder needs to be aware of a number of chemical or technological factors:
- Individual polymer properties
- Additives that can alter price, processing and vulcanization
- Vulcanizing/curing systems
- Anti-degradants
- Mixing procedures
- Testing/quality assurance methods
To develop a final recipe that meets a given set of specifications, compounders have a wide variety of "ingredients" at their disposal. These ingredients fall into nine overall categories.
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