Service conditions dictate the physical property requirements that rubber coverings must meet. Often the covering is chosen based on a specific physical characteristic, a technical advantage, or simply based on pure economic factors. There are some instances where the elastomer itself must be formulated in a unique fashion to meet the end use specifications. At Valley Roller Company many of our coverings fall into the classification of "Specialties".
Before we begin our discussion we should define "Specialty Application". This term is used to describe a myriad of different things. In the roller industry "specialty" is an application that utilizes
a rubber covering to accomplish a function that may not be an inherent characteristic of the given base elastomer. Meeting the requirements for a particular niche specialty application can be cost justified through improved performance. The discussion will focus on the following specialty roll applications:
Abrasion Resistant Coverings
Corona Treating Coverings
FDA Coverings
Low C.O.F. Coverings
High C.O.F. Coverings
Heat Resistant Coverings
Static Dissipation Coverings
Thermally Conductive Coverings
The art and science of compounding various elastomers for roll applications involves coupling the basic understanding of available materials with the end-use requirements for a specified application. This process involves modifying elastomers with various building blocks to enhance the important properties for the end-use application. In many instances this is a balancing act that requires a thorough understanding of each of the various ingredients so that the desired properties can be met without sacrifices being made to other physical properties. This can be a tenuous process since each of the various ingredients can have an impact on multiple physical properties. This creates an opportunity for covering differentiation since there is always a variety of different ways to meet the specified properties. In many instances, the difference between two alternative coverings relates to how well this process has been addressed so that making an enhancement to one property of the covering does not create a new or different problem.
At Valley Roller we understand this balancing act very well and that is why we utilize so many different elastomers and maintain the broadest product line of coverings in our industry. Each and every covering has been specifically tailored toward the customers end-use application.
Improving the performance of end-use roll applications is essential in most industries today. Our team of specialists offers an extensive background in engineering, covering chemistry and the capability to design coverings to meet the most demanding applications.
We guide our customers through the selection process from choice of covering to crown designs and all steps between. This technical expertise and the extensive understanding of roll applications and requirements remains the most important distinguishing characteristic of the company.
We invite you to take a look at the specialty product line we have assembled for the roll industry. We are confident that our coverings will improve roll performance and help you, our customer, achieve your goal for improved productivity.
Abrasion Resistant Coverings
There are a variety of roll applications where coverings are exposed to abrasive substrates which can alter surface finish and roll geometry. In these applications it is essential that the roll coverings are formulated to maximize resistance to abrasion. This is accomplished through the selection of the base polymers and filler systems so that improved resistance to abrasion can be realized. Valley Roller offers several coverings that have been specifically designed for Abrasive Roll applications and environments. These coverings have been very successful in their own right, but consideration for the operating environment is essential to select the most suitable covering.
