How does the mixing and molding process of rubber hose shape product performance? ​

Mixing process: precise control of raw material fusion​
Mixing is the key step in the manufacturing of Rubber Hose. It undertakes the important task of fully mixing rubber with various compounding agents to prepare high-performance rubber. In the magic container of the mixer, a series of complex and precise operations are carried out in an orderly manner. ​
As the basic raw material for mixing, rubber will first undergo a heating and softening process after entering the mixer. The increase in temperature makes the originally hard rubber soft and plastic, creating conditions for the subsequent addition and mixing of compounding agents. As the rubber gradually softens, compounding agents such as vulcanizers, accelerators, and reinforcing agents will be added in a strict order of addition. Each compounding agent has its unique function. The vulcanizer can induce the cross-linking reaction of rubber molecules, change the molecular structure of rubber, and thus improve the physical and mechanical properties of rubber; the accelerator can accelerate the speed of vulcanization reaction and improve production efficiency; reinforcing agents such as carbon black and white carbon black can significantly enhance the strength, hardness and wear resistance of rubber.​
After these compounding agents are added, the mixer uses powerful mechanical stirring and shearing to allow the rubber and compounding agents to fully contact and blend with each other, so that the various ingredients are evenly dispersed in the rubber. This mixing process seems simple, but in fact it has strict requirements on temperature, time and order of addition. Temperature is one of the important factors affecting the mixing effect. If the mixing temperature is too high, the rubber may undergo vulcanization reaction in advance, that is, the "scorch" phenomenon will occur. Once scorch occurs, the molecular structure of the rubber will change before entering the molding and vulcanization stage, causing the rubber to become hard and brittle, lose good processing properties, and cannot smoothly carry out subsequent molding operations. Even if it is molded, the performance of the rubber hose will be greatly reduced, seriously affecting the product quality. If the mixing temperature is too low, the compounding agents are difficult to fully disperse, and the rubber and the compounding agents cannot be well combined. The rubber compound will have uneven performance, which will eventually lead to different performances in different parts of the rubber hose during use, affecting the overall use effect and service life. ​
Time control is also critical. If the mixing time is too short, the rubber and the compounding agent cannot be fully mixed and evenly, some compounding agents cannot fully play their role, and the physical properties of the rubber compound are difficult to achieve the expected results; if the mixing time is too long, it will not only reduce production efficiency and increase production costs, but may also cause excessive breakage of the rubber molecular chain, resulting in a decrease in the strength and other properties of the rubber. The order of adding materials should not be ignored. A reasonable order of adding materials can ensure that various compounding agents play their best role. For example, adding a softener first helps soften the rubber and disperse the subsequent compounding agents. If the order is reversed, it may affect the dispersion effect of the compounding agent and the processing performance of the rubber. Only by accurately controlling the temperature, time and order of adding materials during the mixing process can a rubber compound with excellent physical properties and processing properties be prepared, laying a solid foundation for the high-quality production of rubber hoses. ​
Molding process: various ways to give shapes​
After completing the mixing process and obtaining a rubber compound with good performance, the rubber hose manufacturing enters the molding stage. The core task of the molding process is to process the mixed rubber compound into a rubber hose with a specific shape and structure to adapt to different usage scenarios and functional requirements. In the molding process of rubber hoses, extrusion molding and winding molding are the two most common and important molding methods.​
Extrusion molding is a relatively simple and efficient molding method, which is often used to produce rubber hoses with simple structures and relatively small sizes. During the extrusion molding process, the mixed rubber material is fed into the extruder. The screw inside the extruder generates a strong thrust by rotating to transport the rubber material forward. During the transportation process, the rubber material is gradually compacted and plasticized, and finally extruded through a die of a specific shape. The shape of the die determines the cross-sectional shape of the rubber hose. For example, a round die extrude a round rubber hose, and a square die extrude a square rubber hose. The extruded rubber material is continuously pulled out by the traction device to form a continuous tubular blank. This molding method is easy to operate and has high production efficiency. It is suitable for large-scale production of small rubber hoses such as household water pipes and air pipes. Since the requirements for the structure and performance of such hoses are relatively low, extrusion molding can quickly and efficiently meet market demand, and by adjusting the process parameters of the extruder, such as screw speed and temperature, the size and performance of the rubber hose can be accurately controlled.​
For some rubber hoses that need to withstand high pressure and transport large flow media, such as high-pressure oil pipes in engineering machinery and oil hoses in the petroleum industry, winding molding methods are required. The winding molding process is more complex and delicate. It first prepares the inner rubber layer of the rubber hose by extrusion molding. The inner rubber layer is in direct contact with the conveying medium and needs to have good corrosion resistance, sealing and flexibility. After the inner rubber layer is extruded, reinforcing materials such as steel wire and fiber fabrics will be wound on its surface according to specific rules and angles on the winding equipment. The role of the reinforcing material is to provide strong support and pressure resistance for the rubber hose, so that it can withstand the working pressure under high pressure environment. The winding angle and number of layers are key parameters in winding molding. Different winding angles and numbers of layers will have a significant impact on the pressure bearing capacity, bending performance and service life of the rubber hose. Generally speaking, increasing the winding angle can improve the axial bearing capacity of the rubber hose, while increasing the number of winding layers can improve its radial pressure bearing capacity. But at the same time, excessively increasing the winding angle or number of layers will also reduce the flexibility and bending performance of the rubber hose, so it needs to be precisely designed and adjusted according to actual use needs. After the reinforcing material is wound, the outer rubber layer will be wrapped on the surface of the winding layer. The outer rubber layer mainly protects the reinforcing material, prevents the external factors from corroding the reinforcing material, and further improves the sealing and wear resistance of the rubber hose. Through winding molding, the rubber hose has the characteristics of high strength and high pressure resistance, and can work stably and reliably in complex and harsh industrial environments. ​
The mixing and molding processes of rubber hoses complement each other and jointly shape the performance and quality of the product. The mixing process gives the rubber hose a good physical property and processing performance foundation through the precise fusion of raw materials; the molding process uses a suitable molding method according to different usage requirements to give the rubber hose a specific shape and structure, so that it can play an important role in its respective application fields. From daily household items to key components in the industrial field, behind every high-performance rubber hose, there is the wisdom and ingenuity of the mixing and molding process. With the continuous advancement of science and technology, the mixing and molding processes of rubber hoses will continue to be optimized and innovated, providing strong support for the application and performance improvement of rubber hoses in more fields.