Our ISO 17025 accredited rubber testing labs in Akron, Ohio and Shawbury, UK offer a robust portfolio of physical testing and chemical analysis services for rubber materials and products to give you guidance on product development and material selection.
Read a brief history of our Ohio rubber testing lab >
Rubber chemical analysis
The rubber experts at Smithers are well versed with a variety of analytical techniques and regularly develop new methods to support our clients’ needs. Our rubber test labs are equipped for a complete portfolio of chemical analyses, so our rubber experts can design a custom analysis program to match your unique specifications. This includes rubber contamination analysis as well as fully exploring the chemical make-up of your materials.
Rubber physical testing
Smithers has decades of experience conducting physical testing for rubber materials, dating back to 1925. We offer
environmental resistance and artificial weathering testing,
material properties testing, and more at our rubber testing lab. We test to many common industry standards, including
ASTM,
ISO,
SAE, and others, as well as OEM specifications.
Rubber mixing
Our mixing and compounding team can assist with the development of small, experimental batches for benchmarking and evaluation purposes. The rubber testing lab in Akron, Ohio has a Banbury mixer and a kneader mixer with intermeshing rotors.
Rubber consulting
Our rubber testing lab is supported by a team of expert consultants with years of experience working with rubber materials and products. Our rubber consultants can help with raw material selection, troubleshooting, field performance evaluations, and much more.
Rubber sample preparation
Our world-class sample preparation team can mold and extract test specimens from a wide variety of products and materials on site at our rubber testing lab.
Carbon black, alternative (aCB) and recovered (rCB) carbon black
Smithers experts help clients by providing guidance on use and optimization of tradional or alternative and recovered carbon black in their applications. We can provide mixing studies that cover a wide range of applications, and we can also assist with new formulation development. After mixing, we can provide a wide range of physical properties testing to understand performance attributes across multiple formulation options.
Rubber and elastomer training courses, learning and development
Smithers offers specialist courses focused on rubber and elastomer materials technology, performance and durability. We support the learning and development goals of product developers and manufacturers across all industry sectors. Presented by experienced rubber and elastomer consultants who solve clients’ problems on a daily basis - courses are available online, in-person and in-company.