Rubber Manufacturing
Rubber Manufacturing
(OP)
I have some rubber in a system where I noticed a yellow color on the rubber inside and also on place surrounding it. I noticed this after a long period of time(it was not there when the system was first made). My research indicates this may be sulfur. The rubber I have will be used in an application with human contact and as I understand sulfur is an irritant, so this is not acceptable for us. The rubber is supposed to be neoprene and latex free. Is this the manufacturer's error? Has anybody had any experience with type of problem?





RE: Rubber Manufacturing
due to exposure to moisture. One possible solution is to put water-absorbent (silica-gel?).
Just try.
:)
Allan S. Hugo, Ch.E.
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RE: Rubber Manufacturing
RE: Rubber Manufacturing
RE: Rubber Manufacturing
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: Rubber Manufacturing
Since the problem shows on the surface after a period of time it is a migration problem.
1. Change to a non-sulfur based vulcanising agent.
2. Migration is naturally a liquid to surface migration but not physically noticeable. You only need a few percent to cause a problem.
3. Check your compound for possible migratory substances and change to non-migratory substitutes.
4. The migrating compound could carry(due to prefered solubility in the migrating material)the coloured material to the surface. could well be Sulfur but check for other materials that may have a yellow tone. i.e.Plasticizer migration is often over looked in PVC compounds.
Nobody said it would be easy. Ken.