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Course dates - click register to select dates
- 08 Dec - 05 Jan 26
- 12 Jan - 9 Feb 26
- 11 May - 8 June 26
- 20 Jul - 17 Aug 26
- 28 Sep - 26 Oct 26
- We also run this course as an in-person event
- See all courses
Course details and format
- 6+ hours of recorded modules available
- 28 days to access course materials
- Optional live Q&A after course completion
- Electronic course notes
Course overview
Build a solid grounding in rubber technology and understand how every stage - from material selection and compounding to processing and testing - influences end product performance. Through expert-led sessions and practical case studies, you’ll gain the knowledge to make better material choices, solve problems, and improve product reliability. You’ll learn how material selection, compounding, vulcanisation, and processing affect product performance and durability. The programme also covers testing, specifications, failure evaluation, and includes interactive case studies to reinforce practical understanding.Learning outcomes
You will be able to:- Ask the appropriate questions of suppliers, processors and end-users.
- Assess material specifications for suitability to an application.
- Estimate how differences in service environment may affect product performance.
- Have an appreciation of the range of elastomers and their uses and limitations
- Liaise more effectively with suppliers and customer companies.
- Identify effective quality control procedures for materials and products.
- Look more effectively at optimising in-house processing methods.
- Identify areas of investigation for further product development programmes.
- Evaluate R&D, production and purchasing activities to identify potential savings and guard against in-service failure.
- Gain in-house skills that can be directed to developing products more competitively.
Course content
History of Rubber- A brief synopsis of events in the history of rubber.
- An explanation of what a rubber is and the range of rubber types available.
- How the chemical structure of natural and synthetic rubbers dictates their properties and ultimate selection.
- How elastomers are formulated to produce compounds
- The types, levels and functions of the main additives, including curatives in generic components and how these can influence performance
- What the process of vulcanisation entails and its importance in achieving consistent product performance and what the effects can be if it is not optimised
- The processes involved in converting the raw materials into finished products including mixing technology, extrusion, moulding and other processes. The Processes are described and the important central parameters highlighted.
- Environmental factors that can cause degradation of rubber compounds
- The effects that heat and chemicals have on the polymer network and finished propertie
- Methods of protection
- An appreciation of the static and dynamic behaviour of elastomers and the influence of service parameters such as temperature, strain rates and environment, viscoelasticity is described and its consequences on product performance examined.
Who will benefit
- Anyone who needs a fundamental knowledge of rubber materials, for example:
- Staff working in the rubber industry (e.g. for companies which mould rubber products or material suppliers) both newcomers and those who have no formal training.
- Anyone from companies whose core business activities are outside the rubber industry, i.e. downstream users of rubber materials and components, who need an appreciation of rubber materials and how they are formed to be able to communicate confidently with their suppliers.
Presenter information
- Gary Crutchley, Lead Consultant - Smithers
- John Manley, Principal Consultant - Smithers
What our delegates say about this content
"World class"Richard Andrews (SEP)
"Very well worth it, excellent way of gaining a background knowledge of rubber technology"
Micah Vorster (Berwin PPG)
"Very happy I attended the course, wish I had done it years ago"
Darren Shire (Innospec)
Gain CPD credits
Smithers is an IOM3 Quality Assured training provider and our courses are approved towards professional development.
