Rubber Products
Rubber Products: production orders and BOM, stock and warehouse, quality and reporting.
Challenges
- The compound recipe is kept off the books, so the same part comes out at different hardness.
- Cure time and temperature are not linked to the batch, so a faulty batch cannot be traced back.
- Mould life is not tracked, so flash and dimensional drift are noticed too late.
- Shore hardness test results are never written onto the batch record.
Workflows
From compounding to curing
- The compound recipe is defined with rubber, filler and chemical ratios.
- The compound batch is mixed and receives its own lot number.
- Cure time and temperature are written onto the production order.
From testing to dispatch
- Shore hardness and dimensional tests are run on the batch.
- The result is recorded on the batch, and a non-conforming batch is blocked.
- The approved batch is shipped and its lot is linked to the customer.
Documents
- Compound recipe
- Compound batch card
- Vulcanisation production order
- Hardness test report
Reports
- Hardness results by batch
- Cure parameter deviation
- Mould life and maintenance status
- Scrap and reject rate
Metrics
- First-pass yield
- Batch hardness deviation
- Output per mould
- Reject rate
Compliance
- REACH and chemical safety data sheets
- IATF 16949 records for automotive supply
- Waste rubber disposal and recovery declaration
Glossary
- Compound
- The bill-of-materials recipe for the rubber mix
- Vulcanisation
- The curing operation whose time and temperature are held on the order
- Shore hardness
- A quality measurement field recorded on the batch
- Mould life
- An asset record tracked through a shot counter
FAQ
Can I standardise the compound recipe?
Yes — the compound is defined as a bill of materials and every batch is mixed to the same ratios.
Can I tie cure parameters to the batch?
Yes — time and temperature are written onto the production order and stored on the batch record.
Can I record the hardness test?
Yes — the Shore value goes onto the batch record, and an out-of-range result blocks the batch.
Can I trace a faulty batch backwards?
Yes — the lot chain runs from compounding to dispatch, showing which customer received it.
Can I track mould life?
Yes — the shot counter on the mould card warns when maintenance or replacement thresholds are due.
