Email LinkFirst Articles
DUPONT INSTRUCTS HUDSON ENGINEERS
One of the most useful materials in the rubber and sealing industries
is fluoroelastomer (ASTM D 1418 designation FKM), and the world’s
leading developer of FKM compounds is DuPont Performance Elastomers. A
representative from DuPont recently visited RL Hudson’s Engineering & Research
Center in Oklahoma to update members of our engineering and sales teams
on the latest developments to DuPont’s extensive line of Viton® fluoroelastomers.
Eric Thomas, Senior Technology Engineer for DuPont Performance Elastomers, conducted an informational seminar highlighting the outstanding heat and chemical resistance of the various Viton® fluoroelastomers. He also discussed the improved properties, processing advantages, and economic benefits of DuPont’s specialty-types of Viton® featuring Advanced Polymer Architecture (APA).
A global supplier of elastomeric solutions and supporting technologies, DuPont develops materials used in the adhesives, aerospace, automotive, chemical processing, construction, general rubber, oilfield, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor industries. RL Hudson is proud to offer high-quality O-rings, shaft seals, hoses, and custom-molded products manufactured from genuine DuPont materials, including Viton®. Be sure to ask your account or territory manager for more information on how Viton® compounds may work for your most demanding applications. You can also visit us on the web at www.rlhudson.com to read more about fluoroelastomers and the many other outstanding materials used in RL Hudson products.
MAINTAINING PRICES THROUGH LEAN CONCEPTS
Over the past couple of years,
our industry has seen substantial price increases in the form of raw material
increases in the form of raw material costs and surcharges related to freight
and fuel increases. A recent article in Rubber & Plastics News called
the current raw material costs the worst seen in 26 years. It has been
well documented that most rubber polymers have increased from 25% to 40%
this past year. Freight/fuel costs have gone up 28% over a two-year period,
and it looks like there’s no relief in sight.
Here at RL Hudson, we are doing everything possible to avoid passing along these added expenses to our customers, except where absolutely necessary. We are trying to turn a negative situation into a positive anywhere we can. We challenge ourselves as well as our suppliers to become as efficient and creative (LEAN) as possible.
Even though we’ve been faced with these additional costs, our business has grown substantially over the past several years. This growth has allowed us to take advantage of several economies and efficiencies of scale to help absorb most of these additional costs. On that rare occasion when a price increase is absolutely needed, we will work together to make it the best possible outcome for everyone.
HUDSON HOSTS RELIABILITY WORKSHOP
We at RL Hudson are constantly looking for ways to improve the design
and functionality of our products. Withthat in mind, we recently hosted
a two-day intensive workshop focusing on Reliability Engineering. Dr.
Joseph Tevaarwerk, a world-renowned expert in the field of reliability,
conducted the program, which was held at our Engineering & Research
Center in Oklahoma. Members of the Hudson engineering and sales teams
attended the workshop.
Dr. Tevaarwerk’s workshop covered a wide range of information, including the need for reliability methods in engineering, the theory of reliability, basics of the Weibull distribution, advanced Weibull analyses, Weibull software usage, and reliability growth and non-parametric methods. Far more than a lecture, Dr. Tevaarwerk’s curriculum included a number of interactive work assignments that allowed those attending the workshop to apply the concepts being discussed to sample applications.
An expert not only on reliability engineering but also on tribology and failure analysis, Dr. Tevaarwerk has over three decades of teaching, engineering, and consulting experience. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and he has conducted over 70 seminars on reliability during the past five years.
