Rubber Processing Oil

Rubber processing oils  are used in the manufacture of virtually all rubber products such as tyres , tubes, battery cases, footwear, mats, hoses etc. They are the keystones from the raw material  stage to the finished products. Rubber oils are added to the polymer that may or may not have been oil extended. They  perform the following functions:

• Facilitate mixing operation.
• Reduce compounding time.
• Improve processibility.
• Modify physical properties of the finished product
• Minimise power consumption.
• Reduce cost of finished goods.

Rubber process oils can be broadly classified into three basic groups depending on  the physical arrangement of the carbon atoms namely , paraffinic , naphthenic and aromatic. All petroleum oils are mixtures of various hydrocarbon groups and their classification is arbitrary and is based on the predominance of a particular hydrocarbon group.

RPO 165
This is a highly paraffinic medium viscosity type of oil specifically developed for use as plasticizer in the manufacture of epdm rubbers. The oil also possesses good resistance to evaporation loss.

RPO 245
It is a light coloured paraffinic type of oil and has good colour stability. It also has high flash point and good high temperature properties, but it has low solvency. It finds greatest use in butyl and ethylene propylene rubber. It is recommended to use for the processing of light coloured rubber goods such as white walled tyres, shoe soles, toys, sporting goods, etc.

RPO 255
This is a highly paraffinic type oil specially developed for compounding purpose of shoe sole application. The oil has moderate solvency power with low evaporation loss.

RPO 541
This is a napthenic type of oil and has fairly good colour stability with adequate high temperature properties . Its solvency is better than RPO 245/255, and  is suitable as general purpose rubber oil formats , footwear , moulded and extruded goods.

RPO 590
This is a napthenic type of oil , specifically developed  to meet the requirement of the major tyre manufacturer. The product is used to make the fabric-coating compound, used in coating nylon tyre cords of passenger vehicle tyres.

RPO 710
This is an aromatic type of oil and due to the presence of double bonds it is the least stable compared to RPO 245 and RPO 541. It is dark in colour and has good solvency making it compatible with most rubber polymers. It finds extensive use in the manufacture of automobile tyres, belting, battery case etc. where colour is not an important factor.

RPO 715
It is also an aromatic process oil with higher viscosity and is specifically developed for use as an extender oil in the manufacture of styrene butadiene rubber.