Cabot expands E2C range for OTR tyre retreading

Cabot Corporation has expanded its Engineered Elastomer Composites (E2C) product line for use in off-the-road (OTR) tyre retreading applications. These products utilise a propriety process technology that mixes reinforcing carbons into elastomers; the manufacturer says OTR tyre retreaders and rubber compound suppliers can “now leverage Cabot’s state-of-the-art E2C products to extend the life of the retread by as much as 30 per cent, reducing tyre costs and improving the productivity of operations by decreasing the frequency of truck downtime for a tyre replacement while minimising impact on the environment.”

The current Cabot E2C portfolio includes E2C DX9730, E2C DX9640, and E2C FX9390 grades. Since E2C products are delivered in a pre-mixed form, Cabot says rubber compounders can create differentiated products without the need to handle additional specialty fillers and can expand production capacity by reducing both the time and total number of mixing steps.

Rubber compounders have used Cabot E2C products in both tangential and intermesh type mixers for rubber compounding. Both pre-cure and strip winding processes can be used to retread OTR tyres made with E2C solutions. Retreads leveraging E2C technology have been deployed into field locations in both North and South America in OTR tyres ranging from 35- to 63-inches in diameter.

Best-in-class compound performance

“Sophisticated operators of OTR vehicles have long recognised the economic and sustainability benefits of retreading tyres and have worked together with retreaders and rubber compound manufacturers to build a circular economy that reuses a significant quantity of OTR tyres,” says David Reynolds, vice president and general manager, Cabot Engineered Elastomer Composites. “We are excited to offer our state-of-the-art elastomer composites, which offer best-in-class tread compound performance to the OTR retread industry. In addition to enabling further reductions in cost per hour, the use of E2C solutions in OTR retreads can extend retreading into the most demanding OTR applications. This increases the opportunities for retreading as a sustainable solution for the mining industry and aligns with our purpose to create materials and solutions that enable a more sustainable future.”