Production – our goal: the best quality, at all times!

RADO is the partner you can rely on for high-quality rubber compounds that comply with the toughest standards and meet the most stringent specifications. In order to fulfil these requirements, we work exclusively with top-quality raw materials, which we obtain from suppliers around the world, either directly from the producer or through distributors.

High-grade materials from all over the world

Rubber compounds are made up of a wide variety of raw materials. The main constituent is natural rubber, of which there are 20 to 25 different types. At RADO we process both synthetic rubber, which is produced in specialist plants by means of specific polymerisation methods, and original natural rubber, which comes from large plantations in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

In addition, rubber production requires a combination of various chemicals, including:

  • Light-coloured fillers or carbon blacks
  • Plasticisers
  • Crosslinking agents
  • Accelerators
  • Coloured pigments

Our in-house database contains well over 1000 raw materials. In our warehouses, several hundred tonnes of raw material are waiting at any one time to be processed in our mixing plants.

Modern equipment and tailor-made computer systems

In order to produce our rubber compounds, we use a variety of specific kneaders, rollers and units to shape the mixes.

Rubber production in mixing lines

Some of our kneaders and rollers are coupled together and, in conjunction with downstream batch-off units, form complete mixing lines. Here, the raw materials are first processed into a homogeneous mass in the kneader before being transferred to an open roll mill for further homogenising. In the batch-off unit the compound is cut to the size required by the customer and packaged.

Rubber production in standalone roll mills

Since in some cases it is also possible to introduce the raw materials directly onto counter-rotating rollers, RADO also has standalone open roll mills with no upstream kneader. Here the starting materials are mixed and homogenised and then removed from the mixing plant, again via a batch-off unit.

In both production variants, tailor-made computer systems control all essential production processes in a highly precise and reproducible manner.

Finishing – our service for special requirements

In rubber production, finishing means that the mix undergoes further special processing before being dispatched to the customer. In this way RADO can also satisfy requirements for a specific type of product that cannot be obtained directly through compounding.

We can supply the end product in the following formats and geometries, for example:

  • in sheets
  • in strips
  • as blanks
  • as calendered sheets
  • as pellets
  • in wigwags
  • continuously wound, or
  • cut to length.

Quality assurance through regular controls

In order to be able to guarantee the high quality of our products at all times, RADO carries out regular analyses at every stage of formulation development and compounding. This process begins with the raw materials and continues through formulation development and on into production.

Analysis of raw materials

RADO carries out regular raw material tests in-house to ensure the high quality of the starting materials.

Analyses during formulation development

The development of new formulations starts with the production of small laboratory batches, which the experienced chemists at RADO analyse to determine whether their properties satisfy our own expectations or customer specifications. Whether a formulation meets the requirements or needs to be improved can be established from the following characteristic values:

  • Hardness
  • Density
  • Tensile strength
  • Elongation
  • Compression set
  • Abrasion
  • Viscosity
  • Rheology

Analyses during production

In-process checks on the production lines enable us to identify problems in the production process as quickly as possible. In our in-house QA lab these analyses are supplemented by tests of characteristic features of the finished mixes to ensure that we have a complete picture. If required, we can supply our customers with an inspection certificate in accordance with EN 10204 3.1, listing all the results.

Annual audits by external bodies ensure that our systems are working properly and that we comply with strict quality and also environmental standards. Certification to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 has been a matter of routine for RADO for many years now.

Rolf Müller
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