Cotton and natural fabrics for rubber adhesion
In the past, the standard reinforcement fabric for rubber was cotton.
In the past, the standard reinforcement fabric for rubber was cotton. Cotton fabrics were slowly replaced, mainly by nylon and polyester, but also for a while by the cellulose-based rayon or viscose yarns.
The textile and rubber industries are looking for sustainable yarn alternatives to fossil fuel derivative yarns, and Compotex is ready and prepared to modify existing formulations and develop new specifications for the adhesion of natural textiles to rubber compounds.
Some of the technology, particularly with cotton and viscose, is well established. Compotex RFL dipping technology includes specifications and expertise for these fabrics.
Some new natural fibres are now becoming available, which will offer new opportunities to our customers. Developing the right bonding solution for adhesion to rubber is our area of expertise. With lab facilities and versatile production trialling capability, Compotex is well placed to solve our customer’s technical challenges and provide a pathway for new textile reinforced fabric using natural and sustainable products.
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Compotex is ready and prepared to modify existing formulations and develop new specifications for the adhesion of natural textiles to rubber compounds
Cotton and Natural Fabrics for Rubber Example
We were asked to supply a RFL dipped cotton fabric. The special requirement was that the rubber was nitrile, a RFL system not offered by many companies.
Initial lab and short production tests using our standard RFL formulation showed that, for this fabric, the fibres were not being sufficiently wetted out. We needed to modify the RFL specification for this customer and their particular fabric.
Several RFL specifications were proposed, and lab samples were done to both specifications. The lab results on both fabrics gave adhesion results to the required specification. We chose to proceed with the cheaper option. Compotex can on request undertake short production runs, making development projects viable and quick. For this project we dipped 10 metres.
Our customer then carried out their tests for adhesion to their nitrile rubber. The adhesion results on the RFL Nitrile dipped cotton fabric were to the required specification. The development was complete.