What do Rubber Engineering Consultants Do?
Rubber engineering consultants are advisers, problem solvers, investigators, and subject matter experts—there’s virtually no limit to what they can do. Rubber companies of all types might work with rubber engineering consultants at any stage in the product development process, from the early stages of design and material selection to the investigation of an unexpected issue in the field. Ultimately, the goal is to help clients create innovative and functional products.
Rubber engineering consultants can also help companies investigate different material and design options by benchmarking multiple versions in a controlled laboratory setting, allowing manufacturers to make decisions based on objective data. For example, a company may be choosing between two different rubber compounds for a product that will be subjected to high temperatures and prolonged sunlight in service. A rubber engineering consultant could recreate those conditions in a controlled laboratory environment and run physical tests on samples of both compounds afterward to see if prolonged exposure had any impact on the materials’ performance.
Professional Consultation Process
The rubber engineering consultation process is customized to meet the unique needs of each customer and each project. But the process is usually guided by a few key steps to streamline the process and ensure that the client’s goals are prioritized from start to finish.
Determine the client’s goals and requirements.
It is vital to understand what the client wants: Are they looking to optimize an existing product? Investigate an unexplained failure? Select a new material or supplier?
Any rubber engineering consulting project starts with an in-depth conversation about what the client is hoping to discover or achieve. This may include a discussion of any performance attributes they’re striving for, cost savings or budgetary goals, or requirements for the manufacturing process, among countless others.
Design a process and gather data.
Once the client’s objectives have been established, a rubber engineering consultant will create a plan for getting the data they need. This can range from benchmarking existing products, assessing the performance attributes of different material options, investigating chemical composition and trace amounts of certain elements, and more. Some data gathering processes will be fairly simple, whereas others will be complex.
Share data with the client.
Once the data gathering process is complete, the rubber engineering consultant will start creating a report for the client. This may include all raw data along with the consultant’s commentary and insights into any data patterns, anomalies, or other discoveries. Depending on the project, the consultant may also include directives for the client to guide their next steps, whether that’s additional consulting services or steps the client can execute on their own.
Consultation Services From ACE Laboratories
The ACE Laboratories team is replete with experienced rubber industry professionals with years of hands-on knowledge in industry roles as well as laboratory environments. Our rubber engineering consultants are creative thinkers and exceptional problem solvers who can advise you on anything from material selection to failure analysis and everything in between.
Additionally, our testing laboratories are equipped for a wide range of standardized and custom tests, including chemical analysis, physical performance tests, and processing assessments. We also have small-batch mixing capabilities on site to support custom compounding projects and benchmarking studies.
Whether you’re in the early stages of new product development, preparing for launch, or thinking about the next iteration of an existing product, you can count on ACE to serve as an extension to your in-house expertise and optimize your business goals.
Ready to talk through a possible rubber engineering project? Get in touch with one of our consultants >