Being black smart instead of using black art.

Dr. van Lent reminded the audience that rubber is a complex technology engaging a wide range of sub-specialties including polymer chemistry, polymer physics, material science, thermodynamics, rheology, interracial chemistry, processing technology and application technology. The intimidating scope of rubber technology alone can make it seem more like a black art than a sharply focused discipline--a perception that has also been fed by some of the traditional secrecy maintained by compounders.

He told the audience that the reduced R&D spending in the Rubber Industry is putting more emphasis on the relationships between synthetic rubber manufacturers and their customers to initiate and sustain product innovation. "This means an evolution to different ways of thinking about our technologies, our business partners and our markets," he said.

He continued, saying that "the traditional recipe-focused approach of the practitioners of the compounders' black art must give way to 'black smart' relationships centered around innovative rubber technologies." Dr. van Lent used examples of product developments at Bayer that have been designed to creatively intercept various market vectors and trends as they begin to develop. "What we have been trying to do is not just anticipate end-user market trends, we are working to create new technologies that are trend-friendly and will enable our customers' efforts to take advantage of new opportunities."

"At Bayer, we have been developing our Therban[R] HNBR as an effort both to meet new requirements in existing applications, as well as anticipate new growth applications. We looked to the oil and gas exploration industries where new sealing demands are resulting from increasingly harsh drilling environments. We developed Therban[R] XT which is highly abrasion resistant, has very high temperature resistance and demonstrates outstanding resistance to explosive decompression--one of the most significant challenges as wells go deeper and pressures increase."

Therban[R] grades are also being developed for engine sealing as an effective performance replacement for VMQ silicone elastomer products that must be replaced as a result of LEV II (Low Emission Vehicle) regulations. The critical performance focus is particularly strong for Therban[R] with regard to compressive stress relaxation (CSR) in aerated oil and fuel permeation. "In our evaluations, Therban[R] HNBR has shown outstanding results compared with FKM fluorocarbon elastomer, ACM polyacrylate elastomer and AEM (ethylene acrylic terpolymer) compounds. We think this is very significant for our customers who are adapting to LEV II changes for engine gaskets and seals."

Even in tire, one of the rubber industry's most mature markets, Bayer has been working to optimize the balance between traction, economical rolling resistance and wear factors by developing butyl compounds for tire treads. By utilizing a compatibilizer that mediates the surface energy differences between silica and butyl, Bayer has been able to significantly enhance the wear resistance for butyl tread compounds. "Our next steps in this area are to develop new mixing strategies that will accommodate these changes and then move on to actual tire tests," said van Lent.

Bayer has also developed a clear oil generation of EPDM that is very light in color and particularly well suited for making color matched thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs). Its ultra-high molecular weight gives it outstanding elastic and cure properties, while the clear oil extends the color selection range. "Thermoplastic rubber is a one step process," he said, "a factor that significantly reduces scrap. In addition, TPVs bring both cost and environmental advantages for recyclability."

Dr. van Lent closed by saying that the key in the future will be for Bayer to customize rubber grades to enable its customers to respond quickly and innovatively to changing market conditions. "You have to consider options outside of your traditional business," he said. For example, Bayer's EVM adhesive Levamelt[R] a product for applications in the adhesive sector, e.g. pressure sensitive adhesive or a dry strippable protective film that leaves no residue or impacts on the substrate in any way.

"Our challenge tracks our customer's challenge directly--to provide the compound properties that the market requires." He pointed out that shaping technology that will intersect market trajectories is not only limited to end-user changes and trends. "Your technology is changed by your competition as well as by your customers," he admonished. "If you fail to recognize that you simply become someone else's business opportunity." This has been a driver behind the development of a rich Levapren/Therban blend that can perform very favorably as a replacement for popular ethylene-acrylic elastomers. "Black-smart means not only innovating into a current market change, it also means you have to leverage your advantages into opportunities that will change the market itself."

Therban[R], Levamelt[R], and Levapren[R] are registered trademarks of Bayer AG.