Zeon Corporation, Japan, represented by the European subsidiary Zeon Europe GmbH at the on-going German rubber exhibition DKT (2-5 July 2018) says that it’s focus is on HNBR (Hydrogenated nitrile rubbers) and other elastomers. Meanwhile, Zeon says that it will enhance its supply capability for its latest HNBR, HP-Zetpol. Hence, the production capacity in Kawasaki, Japan, will be extended in the near future. In parallel, Zeon says it is continuously increasing the efficiency of two other Zetpol production facilities in Takaoka, Japan, and in Texas, US, in order to fulfil steadily increasing market demand of the polymers.
Well known in the automotive industry for their resistance to fuels, lubricating oils, coolants and other media, HNBRs have a long history in the engine sealing components. However, the recent trends in engine cooling have resulted in the use of more aggressive coolant technologies and higher temperature performance requirements, from 125°C in the past up to 150°C recently and in some cases in combination with low temperature requirements as low as -40°C. To tackle this challenge has become the focus, in order to bring Zetpol to the higher competitive level like Fluoroelastomers.
Based on the next generation polymer technology, Zeon introduced HP-Zetpol to meet the higher temperatures. It is said to contain unique architecture and a specific cure site monomer, allowing for compounds to be developed based on the material, which can offer better heat resistance and significantly improved compression set resistance compared to the conventional peroxide-cured HNBR.
Furthermore, the company says the improvement of compression set resistance is magnified over longer ageing time and especially in this cross-sectioned articles, such as O-rings, targeting the grade for the recent coolant technologies.
Meanwhile, the Europe automotive market is the key market for Zeon’s innovations in the acrylic rubbers. HyTemp ACM have been established in the automotive market for sealings and gaskets as well as for hoses in the engine air management system. Its resistance against high temperature and oil supports the development of most popular modular engine design at OEMs. The firm says it keeps developing new types of acrylic rubbers to face the constantly challenging market requirements: engine downsizing, combined platforms and emission reductions. One of this is HyTemp H570, which is able to maintain the maximum high temperature resistance of HT-ACM whilst at the same time improving low temperature and oil resistance performances.
Another polymer for the automotive sector, Zeotherm TPV, is a polyblend of polyamide and acrylic rubber, that offers various advantages like weight and cost reduction, simple design, easy processing and recyclability. The blow moulding grades of Zeotherm, with a hardness range of 90 Shore A up to 40 Shore D, have settled their position in the market of cold side CAC hose applications.
The tyre industry is one of Zeon’s main market segments. The newly founded joint venture of Zeon and Sumitomo Chemicals (ZS Elastomers) in Japan consolidates their tyre rubbers product portfolio, solution-SBR and Li-catalysed-BR. The functionalization technologies coming from both companies allow for a special synergy effect, in the development of future green tyres.