Customer Information: Hebei Qinghe XX Rubber & Plastic Products Factory
Products Used: Hongyun EPDM Reclaimed Rubber + EPDM Virgin Rubber
Products Produced: Rubber Dust Covers for Doors and Windows
Case Background:
Hebei Qinghe XX Rubber & Plastic Products Factory mainly produces rubber products such as door and window sealing strips, dust covers, and rubber sheaths, primarily used in the building doors and windows sector. With the rise in EPDM virgin rubber prices, the material costs for the factory's original door and window dust cover formulas have continuously increased. At the same time, customers have clear requirements for product weather resistance, elasticity, wear resistance, and dimensional stability. How to reasonably reduce the use of EPDM virgin rubber while ensuring the performance of the dust covers has become a problem that the company needs to solve.
Performance Analysis:
Door and window dust covers mainly serve to block dust, sand, and foreign particles and need to withstand long-term exposure to sunlight, rain, ozone, and temperature changes. Therefore, the materials must have good weather resistance, ozone resistance, and aging resistance. Additionally, during installation and use, the dust covers are subjected to friction, requiring certain levels of elasticity, tensile strength, and wear resistance. Considering the usage environment and performance requirements of the dust covers, Hongyun technicians suggested using a combination of Hongyun premium EPDM reclaimed rubber and EPDM virgin rubber.
Reasons for Choice:
EPDM reclaimed rubber itself has good weather resistance, ozone resistance, aging resistance, and high/low temperature performance. Premium EPDM reclaimed rubber is made mainly from EPDM headstock rubber, and compared to EPDM sealing strip reclaimed rubber, it has higher rubber content, higher tensile strength, greater elongation at break, and better elasticity. When used together with EPDM virgin rubber, it can meet the requirements for elasticity, hardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance of ordinary door and window dust covers.
When mixing EPDM reclaimed rubber with virgin rubber to produce dust covers, the proportion of reclaimed rubber and the type and amount of additives need to be continuously adjusted according to product hardness, tensile strength, and aging resistance requirements.
Usage Effect:
After multiple formula tests and production verifications, using a reasonable combination of EPDM reclaimed rubber and virgin rubber allows the dust covers to meet the requirements for elasticity, wear resistance, weather resistance, and processing performance. Compared to using only EPDM virgin rubber, this approach reduces the amount of virgin rubber while maintaining essential product performance. It also improves the processing flow and molding stability of the rubber, providing a practical solution for the company to control raw material costs.
Case Summary:
There is significant flexibility in the formula when using EPDM virgin/reclaimed rubber together, making it suitable for dust covers at different cost levels. When mixing EPDM reclaimed rubber, the proportion of virgin to reclaimed rubber should be adjusted according to hardness, tensile strength, wear resistance, and aging requirements. Ordinary dust covers can have a higher proportion of reclaimed rubber, while products with higher weather resistance may use more virgin rubber. Comprehensive adjustment can also be made using carbon black, calcium carbonate, clay, plasticizers, and anti-aging agents.
EPDM reclaimed rubber can be used for manufacturing door and window dust covers, but it’s not simply a matter of replacing all virgin rubber. The mixing ratio should be determined according to usage environment, hardness, weather resistance grade, extrusion size, and cost requirements, with appropriate adjustments to the vulcanization, reinforcement, and plasticizing systems. Proper use of EPDM reclaimed rubber in ordinary building door and window dust covers can provide significant profit potential while ensuring product performance.
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