Minnesota Rubber and Plastics Opens Compound Mixing and Testing FacilityMinnesota Rubber and Plastics Opens Compound Mixing and Testing Facility

minnesota-rubber

MR&P's new automated process analyzer automatically tests and characterizes polymers and compounds to ensure mix quality.

Minnesota Rubber and Plastics (MR&P; Minneapolis) has opened a new compound mixing and testing facility that the company says ensures molding consistency and quality.Offering what it calls a science-based approach, the ISO 13485, ISO-TS 16949, and ISO 9000-certified contract manufacturer of FDA Class 1, 2, and 3 products provides testing facilities that include an automated rubber process analyzer--a dynamic mechanical rheological test instrument that measures the properties of polymer and rubber compounds before, during, and after curing. The system can test up to 100 different compound samples quickly without operator intervention. When required by customers, this allows for 24/7 testing.The new system has many advantages over traditional rubber test methods, according to the company, which works with more than 3000 different compounds. It can test under conditions of variable strain frequency and temperature, which reveal important differences in rheological, rheometric, and dynamic viscoelastic properties. The system's versatility enables the company to characterize polymers and components especially in terms of intrinsic material properties, processability characteristics, and end-product performance.MR&P molds and assembles medical devices requiring high-tolerance components. Components include seals that isolate fluids and gases, internal bosses for aligning actuating mechanisms containing seals and springs, and snap-fit designs that lock assemblies together without the use of adhesives. The supplier also produces needle-free injection devices, surgical instruments, diagnostic instruments, valves, pumps, connectors, diaphragms, plunger tips, seals, laboratory equipment, and disposables.