The global synthetic rubber market is estimated to reach $23.2 billion by the year 2026, and the rubber compound specialists at AirBoss help feed the ever-growing demand for quality rubber. However, rubber manufacturing presents interesting challenges that these specialists help our customers solve on a regular basis.
Rubber applications across countless industries—from automotive and construction to defense and healthcare— help fuel innovations. Nuances in client demands lead to process improvements and produce solutions to common manufacturing and product application challenges.
In this article, we explore common defects, wear-and-tear issues, and production properties that can prove challenging for manufacturers and cause problems for everyday customers.
Here, we highlight the solutions provided by AirBoss and its subsidiaries that position the company as a leader in custom compound production.
Common Challenges in Rubber Manufacturing
Rubber faces its fair share of challenges during manufacturing. These challenges can lead to manufacturing defects, wear-and-tear problems, and production properties that prove challenging for manufacturers and cause problems for everyday users.
Our rubber experts aim to minimize these challenges to ensure quality for our customers, reduce resource drain for our producers, and improve efficiency for our investors.
Common rubber production challenges like potential damage caused by high heat, oil/chemical exposure, tearing, stretching and warping are all considered when AirBoss engineers test new compound formulas. In fact, improving tolerances to temperatures and chemical resistances has led to innovations in process control as well as proprietary product development over the years.
Below, we explore how a few rubber manufacturing challenges can have significant repercussions if left unaddressed. AirBoss rubber scientists identify these challenges early in the production process—or have clients come to us with specific challenges that need solving—and we resolve them before they become problems.
Temperature And Chemical Damage
Rubber products often face harsh environments where high temperatures or exposure to chemicals can cause significant damage. These challenges can result in reduced performance, premature aging, or even failure of rubber parts. Rubber manufacturers like AirBoss address these temperature and chemical resistance challenges during the production process to ensure the durability and reliability of our products.
Structural Damage
Rubber can tear, stretch, or warp out of shape because of various factors like mechanical stress, repetitive motion, or exposure to harsh conditions. These issues can compromise the functionality and durability of rubber components, which leads to increased maintenance and replacement costs.
Small Manufacturing Inconsistencies
Even minor inconsistencies in the manufacturing process, such as variations in compound mixtures, can have significant impacts. Inadequate quality control measures can result in inconsistencies in rubber properties. Minor manufacturing issues can cause uneven wear, decreased performance, or compromised safety for the end user.
Fortunately, addressing these kinds of rubber manufacturing inconsistencies is what we do best. AirBoss compound supervisors have perfected compound quality control over the years to ensure consistent product performance and customer satisfaction.
These are only a few of the challenges that face AirBoss engineers daily, but it’s all part of what makes rubber production such an exciting science. We’ve dedicated time, money, and manpower to Process innovation—through things like rapid prototyping and automation— to identify solutions that help our industry partners continue to innovate.
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How AirBoss Solves Rubber Production Challenges
Common rubber production challenges require innovative solutions. AirBoss has established itself as a leader in rubber manufacturing because we offer a range of solutions that tackles these challenges head-on. We position ourselves again and again as trusted rubber production partners through decades of applied expertise and a commitment to modernization.
Custom Rubber Compounds for Improved Heat Resistance
AirBoss excels at custom rubber compounds tailored to specific applications. Our rubber experts enhance the heat resistance of various rubber products. To do this, we incorporate advanced materials and additives that enable them to withstand high-temperature environments without performance sacrifices.
Our proprietary HeatBoss® EDPM is designed to provide long-term stability that allows rubber components to maintain their integrity and functionality, even in demanding conditions.
Compound Additives for Enhanced Durability and Strength
AirBoss incorporates specialized compound additives that improve the durability and strength of our rubber products. These additives help increase resistance to oil, chemicals, and other damaging substances and reduce the risk of premature degradation or failure.
Chemical-resistant rubbers provided by AirBoss are essential for healthcare, defense, and security sectors around the world.
Robust Quality Control Measures
AirBoss understands the significance of consistent quality control throughout the manufacturing process. Our stringent quality-control measures minimize inconsistencies and variations in rubber properties. This, in turn, guarantees that each product meets or exceeds industry standards.
AirBoss strives to ensure that our rubber products deliver consistent performance qualities by addressing small inconsistencies that arise during the testing and prototyping phases. This means any defects in product design are resolved long before the product makes it to the manufacturing floor.
AirBoss Partners Trust Decades of Rubber Excellence
Rubber challenges in manufacturing and everyday use can impact product performance. This negatively impacts customer satisfaction, which is bad for both AirBoss and our clients.
That’s why we continue to offer innovative solutions to overcome common rubber production problems. It’s made us a thought leader in custom rubber compounding, and it’s also why our customers continue to trust us with industry-shaping projects.
AirBoss provides high-performance rubber products that excel in demanding applications. This is all made possible through our expanding list of custom rubber compounds, specialized compound additives, and robust quality control measures.
Contact our rubber specialists today to address common rubber challenges and achieve optimal results.