OREANDA-NEWS. Cabot Corporation recognizes that the continued development of the automotive market in China has driven increased sophistication in automotive rubber part applications. As a result, Cabot is introducing three carbon black products that are specifically designed for demanding weather stripping applications. SPHERON® 5000A carbon black, SPHERON® VHA carbon black and STERLING® SO-1 carbon black are now available immediately for all customers in China and the rest of Asia. These products supplement Cabot’s current portfolio to provide a full range of carbon blacks for weather stripping applications to meet high and standard surface quality requirements.

The rubber weather stripping on vehicles operates to keep a vehicle safe and secure. It lines the doors and windows to ensure they seal properly when closed, prevents water from leaking inside, protects the vehicle from the elements and reduces noise to improve ride quality. Weather stripping is a key consideration for car manufacturers when it comes to the overall aesthetics of a vehicle. In understanding the key requirements and complexities of rubber fabrication for weather stripping applications, Cabot offers a variety of carbon blacks to meet the needs of customers around the world.

Class A automotive weather stripping surface finishes demand a very low level of defects that could cause visible surface imperfections leading to rejected or scrap materials. In response to this market requirement, Cabot’s SPHERON®A carbon black series is engineered to deliver a very high purity level that results in excellent dispersion and reduced scrap rates for automotive parts manufacturers.

Cabot now offers two Class A carbon black products that combine the cleanliness of the SPHERON A series with optimized morphologies that reduce the visual imperfections on the surface of extruded rubber parts.

Cabot’s flagship SPHERON 5000A carbon black offers very good dispersion and allows excellent high speed processing, smooth extruded or calendered surfaces, and good dimensional stability. It is the product of choice for automotive weather stripping applications that require very high surface finish requirements.

SPHERON VHA carbon black is a newly developed, cost-effective product for very high surface finish requirements. It is ideally suited for applications that require both very low surface defects, without compromising reinforcement, and ultra-high frequency /microwave activity.

For extruded rubber product applications without Class A very high surface-critical requirements, Cabot provides a variety of products to fit customers’ needs. For automotive weather stripping parts with less stringent surface quality requirements, STERLING SO-1 carbon black is now available and offers fast compound processing and high extrusion speeds.

“China is one of the largest markets for industrial rubber products due to advanced technological developments in the automotive industry,” said Bart Kalkstein, president, Reinforcement Materials Segment. “We continually strive to not only meet but stay ahead of market demands. With the introduction of these carbon black products, we offer a full range of solutions that will improve the performance and aesthetics of our customers’ weather stripping products.”

Cabot’s full portfolio of high performance carbon blacks for automotive weather stripping available in China includes SPHERON® 5000A, SPHERON® VHA, SPHERON® SO, STERLING® SO-1 and SPHERON® 6400A carbon blacks. To learn more about Cabot’s products for weather stripping applications, please download the brochure.