White Paper Series - #2.

MIXING. A STEP BY STEP OPERATION.

The individual steps of rubber mixing are a very sensitive part of fender manufacturing. By examining the complex interaction between materials and their processing, and presenting the various available mixing devices, it becomes clear to which extent high-quality fender production depends on the expertise of the manufacturer.

Download your version below, it is available in: 

English: White Paper - Mixing
French: Dossier Technique - Mélange
Spanish: Boletinos Técnicos - Mezclado
Swedish: Teknisk Rapport - Mixning

1-Click Download of entire series: English | Spanish | French | Swedish 

The four-part SFT White Paper Series:

• aims to provide an unbiased view of what exactly makes a good fender
• is unbiased
• presents full facts 
• is a contribution to state-of-the art fender manufacturing standards 

Paper #1 focuses on the raw materials used in rubber production, the physical properties of a fender and their correlation with the compound’s composition. Download White Paper 1 - Compounding (available in English, French, Spanish, Swedish and Polish). 

Paper #3 highlights a practical approach to a decisive, quality-critical step in the fender industry and describes in detail the various different methods for manufacturing and curing with a focus on the quality-determining parameters pressure, temperature, and time. Download White Paper 3 - Manufacturing and curing (available in English). 

Executive Summary 'Mixing - a step by step operation'

Paper #2 of the SFT White Paper Series on fender manufacturing follows up on the first part with an overview of the rubber compound’s mixing process. Based on the results on rubber compounding shown in the previous paper, the following section of the series focuses on the preparation and blending steps of the raw materials and how they impact the performance of a rubber fender.

Fender manufacturing – like other rubber manufacturing sectors – is generally known as an industry that mostly relies on practical knowledge and experience. The complexity and the infinite number of possible rubber compound compositions and various mixing techniques, as well as individual requirements for each different rubber product, make it difficult to determine unifying procedures.

This paper outlines the individual steps of rubber mixing in order to create an insight in this very sensitive part of fender manufacturing. By examining the complex interaction between materials and their processing, and presenting the various available mixing devices, it becomes clear to which extent high-quality fender production depends on the expertise of the manufacturer. Choosing and properly operating the equipment is subject to long-standing experience in this significant part of rubber manufacturing and its effects on the final quality of the fender.