Dosing Process Natural Rubber Safely and Precisely

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perfecdos GmbH

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

Natural rubber (NR) is known in many application areas. Less known is that this material could be used even more widely if it could be dosed safely in small volumes. Perfecdos has developed a solution for this with a contactless dosing system.

Obtained from the latex of the rubber tree, natural rubber is known for its unique combination of elasticity, flexibility, and resilience. It has excellent mechanical, dynamic properties, such as high tear resistance, very high tensile strength, and high extensibility (up to 800%). Whether in the automotive industry for tire production, in medical technology for latex gloves, or in the textile industry for elastic fibers—the raw material is ubiquitous as long as it is processed in larger volumes. However, when dosing smaller volumes, the process-safe processing quickly reaches its limits.

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A key criterion in the processing of natural rubber is the quick reaction of the material, which in turn defines the manufacturing process. It is no coincidence that items like gloves or condoms are typically processed using dipping methods. When dosing natural rubber, these short reaction times lead to problems. This starts during the transfer to the dosing device, and certainly during short downtimes of the equipment. Natural rubber cures, meaning it changes its viscosity, making precise dosing impossible. As a result, natural rubber was not an option for many products, even though the material properties would have been ideal. This is different with the contactless dosing system. Even after a 14-day production interruption, production can resume immediately after 100 empty shots. With appropriate media feed design, no system cleaning is necessary.

The Solution: Contactless Dosing

Initial projects (e.g., the dosing of studs on condoms) with the Jet Valve PDosX1 from Perfecdos have shown that even very small volumes can be precisely and securely applied in a fully automated process. The dosing process is so fast that the material has no opportunity to react and only cures where desired. This contactless dosing of natural rubber opens up the possibility of using a natural material in many industries—an aspect that is gaining increasing importance in the context of environmental and health protection. Essentially, the rapid application of up to 300 shots per second allows for efficient production of products that benefit from new degrees of freedom in terms of product design and manufacturing process design. Now, solutions using natural rubber can be reconsidered—for example:

• In medical components where miniaturization and mass production are gaining importance.

• In the electronics industry, natural rubber can be dosed onto increasingly smaller and more flexible electronic components, where it can, for example, utilize its good insulation properties.

• In the food industry, new packaging solutions can be realized based on precisely dosed natural rubber.

New Perspectives for Natural Rubber

Thus, the precise contactless dosing of natural rubber with the Jet Valve PDos X1 is a concept that opens up new perspectives for this material. Compared to other methods, which often fail for the reasons mentioned, contactless dosing uses less material, produces less waste, and allows for simple process control. This can save a lot of money while improving quality. From a total cost of ownership perspective, 300 cycles per second enable faster production, and the simpler machine design saves money. Overall, many aspects speak for this concept. Regardless, the contactless dosing of natural rubber marks a milestone in the industrial application of this versatile material. By overcoming the previous "dosing limits," new horizons open up for the use of natural rubber—even though various regulations must be observed under Germany's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG).

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