Arlanxeo, a firm that specialises in performance elastomers, has launched a semi-crystalline EPDM grade with a very high Mooney viscosity for demanding rubber applications, particularly in the automotive industry.
Keltan 13561C DE delivers excellent mixing and fast extrusion behavior with high elasticity and collapse resistance in high filled compounds, supporting the reduction of overall compound volume costs. When replacing existing EPDM polymers, Keltan 13561C DE can significantly improve the mechanical properties in EPDM compounds with the same compound loading.
This is the first Keltan grade with five digits, indicating its high Mooney viscosity. Keltan 13561C DE has a high product viscosity of 130 Mooney Unit (MU) – higher than any other current Keltan EPDM grade.
Although Arlanxeo does offer products with a higher polymer Mooney, these are created by adding much more extender oil to the product.
Gosé van Zandvoort, Technical Manager at the Arlanxeo Business Line Keltan said: “Here we have a polymer Mooney of 150 MU and yet we are adding “only” 15 parts of extender oil to the product, resulting in a viscosity of 130 MU. The result is a 5 digit code and a unique grade.”
Customers who have tested the new grade for e.g. automotive sealing applications, reported that they were able to choose between benefiting from improved physical properties or from being able to add more fillers and oil to the rubber mixture to reduce overall compound costs.
Besides automotive solid seals, another key application is waste water seal compounds, where Keltan 13561C DE provides excellent mixing and processing properties for both extrusion and molding technologies, whilst meeting the full set of technical requirements according to DIN EN 681-1 (cold water). A key benefit is that the finished product offers optimal weather- and ozone resistance during outside storage for a longer time.
Additionally, Keltan 13561C DE is able to provide a one polymer solution for automotive coolant hoses.
The new Keltan grade was launched in China and South America and product samples from commercial plant production are now available world-wide.
Chretien Rooijakkers, Head of Global Marketing for the Business line Keltan said: “This new Keltan grade is not only unique in our portfolio, but also in the global EPDM market. We are currently starting to develop recipes for demanding applications to explore the full potential of this product and are considering creating further variants with different ethylene and ENB contents.”
This new Keltan grade is manufactured at Arlanxeo’s EPDM plant in Changhzou, China, using Keltan ACE polymerization technology. This was first implemented in 2013 by Arlanxeo in Geleen, the Netherlands. With this post-metallocene advanced catalyst technology, Arlanxeo is able to produce in a sustainable fashion the full EPDM portfolio, including this very high Mooney grade, with ultra-low catalyst residues and chlorine levels.