Rain Carbon Inc., a leading global producer of carbon-based products and advanced materials, is opening a state-of-the-art rubber lab at its production facility located in Duisburg, Germany.
"This investment will enable Rain Carbon to significantly improve our technical services and targeted product development for the rubber industry, with the intention of positioning our company as a preferred partner in terms of applications and R&D cooperation," Kris Vanherbergen, Rain Carbon executive vice president of carbon distillation and advanced materials, said in a press release announcing the opening.
Each year, Rain Carbon produces about 10,000 tons of performance resins for the industry, according to the release. These products are aimed at improving grip and increasing rolling resistance in compounds used in tires. They are also designed to improve the mechanical dynamic properties of technical rubber articles.
Dr. Jun Liu, head of research and development and application technology for the company's Carbon Distillation and Advanced Materials business unit, said in the release, "Our customers want to have a detailed understanding of the resins we supply and their performance. Unfortunately, we could only provide customers with analytical results in the past, which did not foster a stronger technical relationship. We are very pleased to be taking this step to enhance our technical and R&D support."
The new lab features a rubber bale cutter, a sophisticated station for internal mixing, a cutting-edge complete rubber-process analysis and several other state-of-the-art technologies that keep Rain Carbon at the forefront of the rubber industry, the release said. Another important aspect of the new lab is the ability to conduct research to help the company continue to innovate.
"In addition, being able to conduct the testing in-house will improve our knowledge about the link between resin structure and performance," Liu said. "This will enhance our credibility with rubber customers, allowing us 'to speak their language' when it comes to key performance data related to grip and abrasion, dynamic loss factor, the interaction between rubber and filler, processing capability and more."
Liu said the new rubber lab will enable Rain Carbon to develop new products for safer tires and better fuel economy. "And that's a win-win for everyone," she said.