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At the Rubber Department of the Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC our strength lies in our nearly century-long reputation, as well as in the quality and commitment of our products and people. Armed with the strength of our R & D and application labs, our dedicated technical sales force, our manufacturing plants, and our supply partners, we will continue to fulfill our customers' expectations for many years to come.
Accelerators and Vulcanization Agents
Vulcanization is the name originally given to the process Charles Goodyear discovered by mixing sulfur with natural rubber and subjecting it to heat to transform a plastic substance into an elastic substance. Years later it was learned that the sulfur actually crosslinks the chains of the rubber molecules. Eventually chemicals other than sulfur were used to crosslink elastomers, resulting in the term crosslinking to become synonymous with vulcanization. Vulcanization is normally achieved with time and temperature activation of specific chemicals which react with polymeric materials, producing a crosslinked network of molecular chains with visco-elastic properties. Sulfur-bearing accelerators make the sulfur-vulcanization process safer and more efficient. Crosslinking is also achieved by organic peroxides, which may be made more efficient thru the use of coagents.
Antidegradants
One class of free radical scavengers consists of antidegradants. The amount of cure inhibition they exhibit depends on the particular chemical. Figure 8 shows the effects of various antioxidants in a formulation containing 100 phr of EPDM, dicumyl peroxide as indicated, and 0.5 phr of antioxidant.
Mineral Fillers
The addition of the correct Vanderbilt mineral filler to an adhesive compound not only decreases product cost but can also increase its physical properties. The addition of mineral fillers can increase the viscosity, opacity and weight of the compound, reduce shrinkage and cracking, and increase the speed of melting and cooling in hot melts. The use of mineral fillers will also affect physical strength and vibration damping.
Plasticizers and Processing Aids
Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC has processing aids for rubber which reduce plasticity, improve mold flow and release, without adversely affecting physical properties. They also reduce compound plasticity, improves mold flow and release, has little effect on optimum physical properties. We also offer an effective dry-form plasticizer and processing aid for NR, SBR, IR and IIR. Our mold lubricants for rubber stock removes surface tack from freshly mixed stock and act as a corrosion inhibitor.
Tackifiers
Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC is a proud distributor of ExxonMobil Chemicals’ Escorez™ Tackifiers. ExxonMobil has a strong track record of leadership in the adhesive industry, bringing innovative products to the market for more than 50 years. They offer a broad portfolio of polymers and premium tackifiers and with their world-class technology and industry-leading expertise, we help our customers develop unique solutions through polymer science.
Polymer Modifiers
SpectraSyn™ is a specialty plasticizer for technical applications requiring a wide range of service temperature and improved mechanical properties. The unique chemistry of SpectraSyn may enable formulators to elevate product performance and extend the product service life of EPDM and polyolefin elastomer compounds. Key benefits include improved processing,higher crosslink density,lower compression and tension set, increased permanence and enhanced low- and high- temperature performance. Compound viscosity reduction efficiency is about 130%, which translates to about 70% replacement parts of SpectraSyn vs. Sunpar 2280 for a similar Mooney. The Pour Points for the SpectraSyn grades range from -66°C to -27°C, which is significantly lower than the -9°C for Sunpar 2280.
Rubber Polymers
Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC is a leading distributor of Rubber Polymers for a number of world class manufacturers including: Denka Performance Elastomers’ Neoprene Polychloroprene, Solvay’s line of Tecnoflon® FKM’s and FFKM’s, and ExxonMobil Chemicals’ Vistalon™ Ethylene Propylene Diene (EPDM), Exxon™ Butyl, Exxon™ Bromobutyl, Exxon™ Chlorobutyl, and Exxon™ Exxpro.
VAROX™ Organic Peroxide Crosslinking Agents
VAROX™ Organic Peroxide Accelerators can be used to crosslink elastomers and are especially useful to maximize resistance to heat aging and compression set. These organic peroxides work by decomposing to form free radicals when heated. These radicals then couple to create carbon-carbon bonds across polymer chains.
Miscellaneous
Vanderbilt Chemicals, LLC offers an assortment of products that will meet all your rubber and plastics production needs. Our product varieties include various additive properties that would be ideal for such applications such as: Activators, Anti-Corrosion Agent, Cure Stabilizer, Industrial Preservatives and Reodorant.