This review has been written as a practical guide to rubber injection moulding. Many injection moulding processes produce rejects or scrap, because they depend on a b257 of variables. To eliminate waste it is necessary to learn how to recognise the variables that cause problems, and then experiment to understand their interdependence. This can be developed to a fine art and lead towards 'right first time' processing, the commercial ideal. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database gives useful references for further reading.

This report considers the implications of the trends within the industry for the rubber component industry including mergers and associations, expansion of the platform approach and model globalisation.

This report describes the current state-of-the-art in mixing from a practical viewpoint. It begins by offering historical background against which the latest developments are set. It considers both batch and continuous systems, containing details of key developments by equipment manufacturers, with the different concepts discussed in layman's terms. This report also summarises the range of mixing techniques applied in the industry as well as methods for monitoring mixing quality both off- and on-line are also covered. Recent academic research in rubber mixing is briefly considered, providing an indication of possible future practical advances in this field. This review of rubber mixing is supported by an indexed section containing several hundred key references and abstracts selected from the Rapra Abstracts database.

Technical d104iles are high performance speciality materials. Applications are found in inflatable structures, tents, as reinforcement in composites for construction, as body armour and vehicle protection, in filters, as a base for flexible printed circuits, hose, conveyor belts and tyres. Polymer Enhancement of Technical d104iles examines the potential for these materials. The review is accompanied by around 400 abstracts from papers and books in the Rapra Polymer Library database.

This report provides an excellent, clearly written report on the state-of-the-art of food contact elastomers. In the UK, the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF), industry and Rapra have combined forces to study the issues surrounding rubbers in contact with food. A survey has been carried out of the food processing industry to determine which rubber products come into contact with food, contact area, duration of contact and temperature of contact. The results of this survey are found in the report and a compilation of data tables on each food industry studied is included as an appendix. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Rapra Polymer Library database gives useful references for further reading.