Rubber Hair Non-Wovens Fabrics For Effective Filters

Weserland Provides Suitable Vulcanisation Pastes

The name rubber hair or rubber cocos refers to a cushioning fleece which has been covered with latex to maintain the elasticity. Mostly, coconut fibres are used. Rubber cocos has been the material of choice for car seats for decades. It is air permeable and retains its elasticity and shape for years. And it consists almost entirely of renewable raw materials.

However, the use of rubber cocos in the automotive sector has declined sharply and has now largely been replaced by PUR mould cushions.

Nowadays, the use has changed a lot: rubber non-wovens are now mainly used for filtering purposes. These filters are used in compressors and blowers as humidity-resistant filters – basically for all kind of machinery where the air taken in must be cleaned, e.g. for blowers, combustion engines and compressors. These non-woven filters work most fittingly with coarse dusts as well if there is generally a high dust concentration.

Rubber Hair Manufacture

Rubber hair non-wovens are produced in an extensive production process. The natural fibres are spun, steamed and rolled up again to obtain a frill. The resulting mixture of natural fibres or animal hair (pork hair, horse hair) is applied to conveyor belts via a non-woven machine, sprayed with a latex mixture from one side and after a turning process from the other side, and finally dried in a through dryer.

After the spraying, a pressing can be carried out by all means of corresponding press rollers to achieve the pre-defined (wanted) thickness. The latex mixture usually consists of a vulcanisation paste as well as fillers and flame retardants.

Weserland offers special vulcanisation pastes for the production of rubber-bonded non-wovens as well as flame retardants. The Compound Supron LN 030 offers flame protection, while Supron LK 020 has no additional flame retardant components.

Photo: Art Stocker