Calenders

In manufacture, the abrasive grain is mixed with cmde mbber, sulfur, and other ingredients for curing, then passed through calender roUs to produce a sheet of desired thickness. The wheels are stamped from this sheet and heated under pressure to vulcanise the mbber. 

Calendering. The rheological characteristics of the sheet extmsioa grades of ABS easily adapt them to caleaderiag to produce film from 0.12... 

Gut Rubber. To produce cut mbber thread, smoked mbber sheet or crepe mbber is milled with vulcanizing agents, stabilizers, and pigments. This milled stock is calendered into sheets 0.3—1.3 mm thickness, depending on the final size of the mbber thread desired. Multiple sheets are layered, heat-treated to vulcanize, then sHt into threads for textile uses (Fig. 2). Individual threads have either square or rectangular cross-sections. 

The formaldehyde approach is stiU used by Futamura Chemical (Japan). They make spun-laid viscose nonwovens where the hydroxymethylceUulose xanthate derivative formed from formaldehyde ia the spia bath allows the fibers to bond after layiag. This process was originally developed by Mitsubishi Rayon (30), who later found that the derivative was thermoplastic, and the web could be calender-bonded (120°C) prior to regeneration (31). 

Available as both film and sheet unless otherwise noted. All materials are available in PDA grades except for CTA, PVP, and PL EX = extrusion CL = calendering REG = regeneration CAST = casting BO = biaxial orientation. 

The basic methods for forming film or sheeting materials may be classified as follows melt extmsion, calendering, solution casting, and chemical regeneration. Of special note is the use of biaxial orientation as part of the critical manufacturing steps for many film and sheet products. 

Fine Powder Resins. Fine powder PTFE resins are extremely sensitive to shear. They must be handled gendy to avoid shear, which prevents processing. However, fine powder is suitable for the manufacture of tubing and wire insulation for which compression molding is not suitable. A paste-extmsion process may be appHed to the fabrication of tubes with diameters from fractions of a millimeter to about a meter, walls from thicknesses of 100—400 )J.m, thin rods with up to 50-mm diameters, and cable sheathing. Calendering unsintered extmded soHd rods produces thread-sealant tape and gaskets. 

To produce unsintered tape by paste extmsion, the fine powder is lubricated and preformed according to the procedure described above. The preform is extmded in the form of rods, which are calendered on hot roUs to the desired width and thickness (109,110). 

Overbraided hose liners are made from fine powder resins by paste extmsion, and thread-sealant tapes are produced from fine powder by calendering. Fabricated gaskets are made from granular resins and pipe liners are produced from fine powder resins. Fibers and filament forms are also available. 

R. C. Ribbans, Dnsintered Tape Manufactured Calendering Round Rods, technical release, E.I. du Pont de Nemours Co., Inc., Wilmington, Del., 1966. 

Poly(vinyl chloride). To be converted into film, poly(viayl chloride) [9002-86-22] (PVC) must be modified with heat stabilizers and plasticizers, which increase costs. Plasticized PVC film is highly transparent and soft, with a very high gas-permeation rate. Water-vapor transmission rate is relatively low. At present, PVC film is produced by blown-film extmsion, although casting and calendering are employed for heavier gauges (see Vinyl POLYAffiRS). 

Lubricants. Process aids or lubricants promote smooth and rapid extmsion and calendering, prevent sticking to extmders or calender roUs, and impart good release properties to molding compounds. In some cases use of lubricants allow slightly lower processing temperatures (see Vinyl polymers). 

AppHcatioas of dibasic lead phthalate, coated grade, iaclude 90 and 105°C rated PVC electrical iasulation, plastisols, profile extmsions, calendered sheet, and molded products. The recommended range of usage ia viayl electrical iasulatioa is 5—7 parts pet huadred resia, depending oa the particular iasulatioa classiftcatioa to be met. Ia geaeral-purpose extmded and molded PVC stocks, approximately 3—6 phr of coated dibasic lead phthalate is suggested. 

Vinyl-Goated Fabrics. Manufacturing methods for vinyl-coated fabrics now available are calendering and extmsion for thicklayer, and paste coating for thin layer. Both soHd and foam vinyl-coating layers are used. 

In the calendering method, a PVC compound which contains plasticizers (qv) (60—120 phr), pigments (qv) (0—10 phr), fillers (qv) (20—60 phr), stabilizers (10—30 phr), and other additives, is kneaded with calender roUs at 150—200°C, followed by extmsion between clearance-adjusted roUs for bonding onto the substrate. This method is employed for products with thick PVC layers, ie, of 0.05—0.75 mm thickness. The main plasticizer used is di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DOP). For filler to reduce cost, calcium carbonate is mainly used. A woven or knit fabric made of cotton, rayon, nylon, polyester, and their blend fiber is used as substrate. For foamed vinyl-coated fabrics, the bonded materials are heated in an oven to decompose the foam-blowing... 

For vinyl plastisol, organosol products and calendering, Day-Glo Color Corp. offers T, D, VC, and AX-Series pigments, Lawter Chemical offers the B-3500 and G-3000 Series, and Radiant Color offers P-1600 and R-203-G Series. In addition, Day-Glo offers VC Series for vinyl calendering where nonformaldehyde products are needed. 

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