There are numerous methods to measure filler dispersion in rubber compounds. Kylie Knipp from Akron Rubber Development Laboratory has compared three of them in the current issue of RFP Rubber Fibres Platics 02 2020: Phillips Dispersion test, Dispergrader test, and nSpec 3D topography scan. A simple SBR compound was selected and five different fillers were evaluated. The paper will briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the three different dispersion measurement techniques.

Continental’s Tire business has now bundled all activities and projects in the area of sustainability in a newly created department under the leadership of Claus Petschick as part of its “Vision 2030” strategy program.

On 17 June 2020 the Society of Plastics Engineers SPE has announced recently elected Executive Board members as well as a newly appointed President.

European Bioplastics, the association, representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, has announced the appointment of Joanna Dupont-Inglis as Head of European Public Affairs. She assumed her position on 1 June 2020 and will be based in Brussels.

Aramco has announced the successful completion of its share acquisition of a 70 % stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, for a total purchase price of USD 69.1 billion on 17 June 2020.

For some months now, KraussMaffei’s R&D centre at the Hanover site has been equipped with an advanced industrial-scale recompounding system. With the new system KraussMaffei substantially extends its capacities for customer trials and its own testing activities associated with recycling and recompounding processes. Interested customers can carry out industrial-scale trials on the new EdelweissCompounding line in at the R&D centre. The line is composed of two ZE 65 BluePower twin-screw extruders and designed for a maximum output rate of 2,000 kg/h. The combination of two twin-screw extruders enables high degassing capacities, efficient odour removal, ideal dispersive and dispersing mixing effect, gentle melt treatment at a high throughput rate, the company says.

Azelis has a new partnership with Ocsial, the world’s largest single-wall carbon nanotube manufacturer. Under the agreement Azelis distributes Ocsial’s Tuball range in France and the UK. Tuball single-wall carbon nanotubes can be used to achieve non-black antistatic and conductive applications.

Sika has acquired Modern Waterproofing Group, a leading manufacturer of roofing and waterproofing systems in Egypt. The acquisition supplements the product portfolio of Sika Egypt and offers new opportunities for growth in the Egyptian construction market.

Croatian oil and gas company INA has put into trial operation a new propane propylene splitter facility worth HRK 500 million (USD 81 million / EUR 72 million) that aims to boost its competitiveness by expanding product portfolio, it said.

Fröbel together with its partner company Ako has developed a face mask. The parts for the mask are produced at the Fröbel facility using injection moulding technology from Wittmann Battenfeld and a TPE supplied by TPE compounder Allod.