Butyl rubber is one of the most commonly used rubber materials used in the manufacturing of a wide range of industrial rubber products. The remarkable properties of butyl rubber like excellent impermeability/air retention and good flex properties, make it a key polymer for a wide range of technical rubber applications. For more information on this type of rubber, check out our section on Butyl Rubber. We present below the use of butyl rubber in various applications:
Butyl Rubber Applications
Automotive Tires
One of the most popular use of butyl rubber is in the making of automotive tires. The first commercial use of butyl rubber was seen in the tire inner tubes. Regular butyl provide excellent inflation pressure retention for truck, bicycle, industrial, agricultural and specialty tires. Butyl rubber is capable to produce more durable tubeless tires with the air retaining inner liner chemically bonded to the body of the tire.
Healthcare The demands for elastomers are extremely high in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors . Butyl rubber is usually preferred as it ensures protection of sterile pharmaceutical products against external contamination during use and storage. Butyl rubbers are widely used in pharmaceutical rubber products, like closures, stoppers, caps, seals for infusion containers, injection vials, blood collection tubes and other phamaceutical bottles. Pharmaceutical stoppers and seals in various shapes and sizes are made using butyl rubber, which provides high cleanliness and gas/moisture barrier in these.
Industrial Applications
The excellent properties of high damping, resistance to heat aging, resistance to ozone, and barrier properties make them perfect for manufacturing automotive vibration control, hoses and gaskets. Butyl rubbers are also used to improve formulations for conveyor belts, tank linings and condenser packaging.
Construction
Butyl rubber is also used in the construction industry. Using butyl rubbers, the weather ability of asphalt, contact cement and sealant tapes can be improved.
Adhesives
Use butyl rubbers to provide adhesive properties in tapes, valve cement, and flooring adhesives.
Consumer products
Butyl rubbers are used in ball bladders for sports goods and electrical appliance condenser packing. Excellent air retention properties make butyl rubber a major component in bladders used in the sporting goods industry. Similarly the low permeability and chemical inertness of butyl rubber makes it ideal to make condenser packing for electrical appliances. Butyl rubber is used for making the gum base in chewing gums.