How to choose the right raw material for rubber fenders?

The choice of rubber fender material is a technical one, allowing the selection of a variety of raw rubber and compounding agent varieties and amounts suitable for the mixing, rolling, moulding and vulcanisation processes to meet customer product requirements and develop competitively priced products.

The price, processing and performance of rubber fender materials are elements of competitiveness. In the current competitive business environment, the price of raw rubber and compatibilisers is very important. Certain rubber materials may give excellent performance to vulcanised rubber and products, but too high a price may make them uncompetitive. How to reduce product cost while maintaining performance is a common practical concern, and there are many factors that affect product cost. Therefore, when selecting rubber materials, value engineering should be fully applied to the analysis and the choice of a lower cost rubber material should be considered first on the basis of ensuring physical and processing properties.

Common Raw Materials in Fender Manufacturing

The cost of rubber should be considered is quality standards. Rubber products are mostly sold by the number of pieces and evaluated by volume. The price per unit of volume should be minimised purely economically, and the associated process costs should also be fully considered, but always be alert to reducing the amount of expensive matching agents so as not to compromise product quality and lead to processing difficulties. Likewise, too high a design mark can not only lead to waste, but also reduce the competitiveness of the product. Often, you can choose alternative materials during design, but this needs to be carefully evaluated, including a reasonable cost calculation.

The costing of rubber materials requires three parameters.

①The amount of each component.

②The price of each component.

③The density of each component.

In order to reduce costs, the amount of filler used is generally added to the raw material. As the unit price of fillers is generally lower, the cost of rubber fenders can also be reduced

Frequently Asked Questions: Rubber Fender Raw Materials

Does a higher price always guarantee a better quality rubber fender?

Not necessarily. In marine engineering, "better" means the material properties are perfectly matched to the operational environment.

• Avoid Over-Engineering: Using 100% EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) in a temperate port with low UV exposure may result in unnecessary costs without significant performance gains.

• The "Cheap" Risk: Conversely, a suspiciously low price usually indicates a high volume of reclaimed rubber or excessive fillers (like calcium carbonate). While this reduces the initial cost, it leads to high "permanent set" (loss of shape memory) and brittle failure during high-energy berthing, ultimately increasing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

How does Tonly ensure batch-to-batch consistency in its raw materials?

With a manufacturing legacy dating back to 1958, Tonly has established a rigorous multi-stage quality control protocol in our in-house laboratory:

• Rheometer Testing: We analyze the vulcanization curve of every rubber batch to ensure the cross-linking density meets design specifications.

• Tensile & Elongation Tests: Every compound is tested for a minimum Tensile Strength (typically >15 MPa) and Elongation at Break (typically >350%) before proceeding to the molding stage.

• Specific Gravity Verification: We strictly monitor the density ($g/cm^3$) to ensure the polymer-to-filler ratio remains constant, preventing the use of unauthorized recycled materials.

Can I use the same rubber material for Arctic and Tropical port environments?

No. Rubber behaves differently under extreme temperatures. For Arctic environments (down to -50℃), we use specialized Low-Temperature Natural Rubber (LT-NR) blends to prevent the fender from becoming glass-brittle. For Tropical environments with high UV and ozone levels, we incorporate higher concentrations of Antioxidants and Antozonants (such as 6PPD or IPPD) to prevent surface "crazing" and premature aging.