Fundamentals of Rubber Compounding

Instructors: Michael Fath and John Byers

Monday and Tuesday, October 14-15, 2008

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM and 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

A Practical Approach to Real World Compounding Problems

This seminar will present a description and review of the functionality of the various compounding ingredients used to formulate a rubber compound, their advantages and disadvantages, in order to achieve a desired level of compound performance properties. Materials discussed include elastomers, fillers, curing agents, plasticizers and antioxidants.

This is an applied seminar which emphasizes practical approaches to real world compounding problems. Theory and mechanisms are presented where they are helpful to allow the compounder to develop a model to predict behavior and responses.

The objectives of this seminar are:

• Overview of practical aspects of compounding
• Provide theory where helpful to predict behavior
• Provide opportunities for one-on-one dialog for detail beyond general class interest
• Use class expertise as a resource
• Provide references/contacts for use as future questions arise