Metal epoxy composite for the production of vulcanizing press-molds

Increasing the output of necessary low-volume and non-standard products made of rubber and plastics is urgent, but it is restrained by the need to use appropriate molds made of valuable structural steels with the necessary complex metal processing, which is a certain problem during the rapid restructuring of production sites for such products. In these conditions, it is advisable to use a simplified design of molds with metal-polymer (metal-epoxy) elements of the necessary heat resistance and able to withstand significant compression during the manufacture of products. The analysis of research and publications on the development and implementation of metal-epoxy elements of molds showed that insufficient attention is paid to the issues of developing the composition of compositions for producing such elements and improving their operational properties. The purpose of the article is to create metal-epoxy compositions with increased heat resistance and compressive strength for the manufacture of vulcanization mold elements using combinations of curing agents and dispersed aluminum powder with increased particle packing density. The influence of temperatures in the industrial premises (15-30°C) on the course of curing with combinations of hardeners Poly7 (Telalit 0343) + TUZOR TEP of epoxy compositions filled with aluminum powder was determined, and the need to increase their curing time at a temperature of 15°C by 48 hours was determined. Compared to the recommended temperature of 20°C. The effectiveness of using bidisperse aluminum powder as part of metal epoxy compositions for producing vulcanization molds has been proven. A production check and introduction of a metal-epoxy composition filled with bidisperse aluminum powder was carried out with its hardening with a combination of hardeners Telalit 0343 + TUZOR TEP in the manufacture of molds for vulcanization of rubber lining elements of ground pumps at "New Technologies" LTD (Dnipro).