Chemical Analysis of Rubbers & Plastics

Smithers Rapra delivers a complete portfolio of rubber & plastic analysis to support a wide range of industry sectors. The key sectors supported include pharmaceutical, automotive, transport, industrial, consumer & funded research. Our activities also include work for academia, the EC & UK Government Agencies (e.g. the Food Standards Agency). Smithers Rapra’s UKAS accredited laboratories provide techniques to examine the chemical & physical properties of numerous materials & compounds including:

• Base polymers e.g. elastomers & thermoplastics
• Compounds e.g. rubbers, thermoplastics & thermoset formulations
• Additives e.g. fillers, plasticisers, antidegradants & curatives
• Polymer based products e.g. adhesives, paints, inks, lacquers, laminate films, plastisols & coatings
• Manufacturing sector products & components e.g. those used in the automotive, construction, electrical, medical & offshore industries

Smithers Rapra’s analysis laboratories are used independently for data only projects or combined with other areas of our consultancy services in a comprehensive consultancy project.

Analytical services typically support the following activities throughout the product lifecycle:

• Materials selection
• Product development
• Compound deformulation/formulation
• Service life prediction
• Quality assurance
• Process improvements
• Technical specification compliance
• Failure analysis
• Forensic investigation
• Expert witness service