Rubber Manufacturing Process and Demolding Techniques

As the world's largest rubber consumer, China's rubber products market is naturally of great importance. With the continuous growth of the domestic economy, this industry has also been advancing by leaps and bounds, and market demand has always maintained a strong momentum.

Rubber, a material that is both flexible and shapeable, can be said to be a "universal accessory" of modern industry - it can be found everywhere, from cars on the road to the buildings we live in, from electronic products to medical devices. Rubber can be broadly classified into two main categories: natural rubber, derived from the latex of rubber trees; and synthetic rubber, the result of technological advancements in chemical plants. To make the final product, it has to go through a set of interconnected precision processing procedures.

The main raw materials of rubber

The processing of rubber products includes basic steps such as plasticating, mixing, calendering or extrusion, molding, and vulcanization. Each step has different requirements for the product and is accompanied by several auxiliary operations. To incorporate the required compounding ingredients into the rubber, the raw rubber must first be plasticized to increase its plasticity. Then, carbon black and various rubber additives are uniformly mixed with the rubber through mixing to form a rubber compound. The rubber compound is extruded into a shaped blank. This blank is then combined with a calendered or rubber-coated textile material (or metal material) to form a semi-finished product. Finally, vulcanization transforms the plastic semi-finished product into a highly elastic final product.

Rubber products with higher precision requirements, such as oil seals, O-rings, and sealing components, require trimming and deburring. Trimming and deburring can be performed manually, mechanically, or by freezing.

Methods for Quickly Demolding Rubber Products

1. Ensure a reasonable mold structure and maximize mold rigidity. Perform timely mold maintenance, such as cleaning (electroplating, PTFE spraying, sandblasting), etc. 

2. The rubber product's structural design should be easy to demold and have sufficient slope.

3. Choose a reasonable and appropriate viscosity formula. Appropriately adjust the vulcanization system, especially for rubber products, by increasing the amount of accelerator; add carbon black for reinforcement; or adjust the original formula.

4. If the vulcanization is not mature, measures such as increasing the vulcanization time and temperature can be used to resolve the issue. For products with more complex structures, special attention should be paid to the demolding method and improving the demolding workers' skills.

5. If cost permits, add an appropriate amount of internal mold release paste to the rubber compound to reduce the frequency and amount of mold release agent spraying. This effectively prevents mold release agent contamination of the mold cavity surface, which can lead to difficulty in sticking.

6. Use a sufficient amount of mold release agent.