KraussMaffei has released its new C-Check system, designed for in-line conductivity measurement of chimney strips directly after the extrusion process.
It enables in-process detection of material defects and transmits a warning signal to the operator and the control system, while recipe-controlled positioning combined with automatic height adjustment of the test system ensures uncompromising flexibility and excellent precision.
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Dr Gerard Nijman, Head of R&D and Rubber Processing Technology at KraussMaffei Berstoff, said: “To reduce the rolling resistance of passenger car and truck tyres, tyre producers often replace carbon black silica in their rubber compounds used in tread production.”
“Silica is characterised by high electric resistance and acts as an isolator. For this reason, a continuous conductive strip (chimney) on carbon black basis is required as an additional component in the tread profile to eliminate the electrostatic charge from the tyre.”
“The chimney strip has a width of a few millimetres only and avoids electrostatic charging by the contact with the road surface.”