Styron attended the 2013 International Rubber Conference (IRC), which took place March 20 – 22 in Paris, France. This international annual meeting brings together key players in the rubber industry and is renowned as a global networking and knowledge sharing platform. Representing Styron, Dr. Sven Thiele, Lead Research Specialist, presented on “Modified SSBR for Silica & Carbon Black Containing Tires. ” Thiele provided a high-level overview of Styron’s rubber business, including a presentation of our commercialized modified SSBR (for Silica & Carbon Black) portfolio, and shared some of the main performance characteristics of our development grades.
He opened the presentation with a description of the current market environment which is driven by global tire labeling initiatives on CO2 emissions. He explained rating and labeling programs are an important first step in improving tire efficiency because they encourage customers to choose—and retailers and manufacturers to provide—more efficient tires. Thiele stressed the fact that this legislative push is part of an ongoing process occurring in different regions around the world. While the European Tire Labeling Regulations came into effect in November 2012, other regions are looking to implement similar tire efficiency standards. Accordingly, this is further driving Styron’s motivation to develop enhanced products for the rubber industry.
Thiele then presented Styron’s forecast that functionalized SSBR will become the new industry standard. He explained the reasoning behind this forecast, drawing on the fact that the application of functionalized SSBR is a proven method for the production of automotive tires, and can achieve the required high performance and low rolling resistance, while simultaneously maintaining well balanced wet grip properties. He also highlighted that the lower rolling resistance of a tire can lead to lower fuel consumption and decreased CO2 emissions, which is a high priority for all major automotive OEM’s.
Following a contextual market introduction, Thiele focused on what Styron brings to the market by introducing Styron’s SPRINTAN® portfolio, our solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber, produced by anionic batch polymerization and available in a wide variety of styrene and vinyl contents. He articulated how SPRINTAN® SLR-4602 - Schkopau and SPRINTAN® SLR-3402 - Schkopau in particular, offer excellent balance between wet grip, rolling resistance and dry handling in silica and/or carbon black compounds for high-performance tires. Even though these grades address current market needs, Styron is constantly striving to improve its portfolio. He also gave an overview of Styron’s technological developments in the area of tire tread by showing how Styron has improved the processing performance of silica compounds for functionalized clear grades, as well as the rolling resistance in silica filled rubber applications. He highlighted some key performance characteristics of the 3rd generation SSBR which will be commercialized in the coming months. This new generation SSBR improves rolling resistance properties and improves grip even further.
Thiele concluded his presentation by giving an overview of Styron’s synthetic rubber product capabilities based in Schkopau, our world-facility for rubber, saying, “Apart from continuous R&D investments, Styron also created an additional capacity of 50,000 ton per year through the introduction of a new production line in Schkopau. We are committed to this industry and are excited about where we are headed!”
For more information on ICR, please go to: http://www.internationalrubberconference.org/
To learn more about Styron’s SPRINTAN portfolio, visit: http://www.styron.com/industries/rubber.htm
About Styron
Styron is a leading global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber, dedicated to collaborating with customers to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions. Styrons technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Styron had approximately USD 5.5 billion in revenue in 2012, with 20 manufacturing sites around the world, and 2100 employees. More information can be found at www.styron.com.
Legal Disclaimer
Any technical descriptions and product information provided in the above announcement are not legally binding. The quality, price and performance of our products will be specified in individual contracts with our customers. Unless otherwise explicitly agreed, the official product specification shall prevail in the form published from time to time.