Rubber Processing, Compounding & Curing

Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Rubber & Elastomer Processing

Rubber and elastomer manufacturing uses electric heating throughout compounding, forming and curing stages.
Mixers, extruders, calendars, presses, autoclaves, continuous vulcanisation lines and post-cure ovens all rely on stable, repeatable thermal conditions to achieve target cure and mechanical properties. Intelligent SCR power control can improve temperature stability, help manage electrical demand and provide data that supports quality, maintenance and energy projects.

Mixers & Banbury preheaters
Extruders, heads & calender rolls
Curing presses & mould heating
Preform & batch dryers

Autoclaves & batch vulcanisation
Continuous vulcanisation lines
Post-cure & stress-relief ovens
Roll heating & liner prep systems

Process Machinery & Applications

Electrically heated rubber processing equipment commonly controlled with REVO SCR power controllers.

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Mixers & Banbury Preheaters

Electric barrel, rotor and chamber heaters stabilising temperature during rubber and compound mixing.

Common pain points:

temperature drift
start-up overshoot
compound consistency

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO C

Extruders & Calenders

Multi-zone band or cast heaters along extrusion barrels, heads and calender rolls.

Common pain points:

profile control
gauge stability
line speed changes

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO C

Curing Presses & Mould Heaters

Electric platen and mould heating for tyre, seal, gasket and elastomer component production.

Common pain points:

mould temperature balance
cure time
flash & defects

Recommended controllers:

REVO PN

REVO C

REVO PC

Autoclaves & Vulcanisation

Direct or indirect electric heating for pressure curing of rubber parts, hoses and assemblies.

Common pain points:

temperature uniformity
ramp/soak accuracy
energy demand

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

Autoclave and vulcanisation (cut off one of the machines)

Continuous Vulcanisation Lines

Hot-air, IR or microwave-assisted sections for wire coating, tubing and rubber profiles.

Common pain points:

line speed synchronisation
temperature profile
energy peaks

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO PB

Post-Cure Ovens

Batch or conveyor ovens for elastomer post-curing, crosslinking completion and stress relief.

Common pain points:

uniformity
cycle time
recipe repeatability

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO C

Roll Heating & Liner Preparation

Jacketed and surface heaters for rolls, tanks and adhesive preparation used in rubber and liner handling.

Common pain points:

surface temperature balance
adhesive viscosity
start-up time

Recommended controllers:

REVO PN

REVO C

REVO PC

REVO DPU

Preform & Batch Dryers

Heated trays and dryers for rubber sheets, preforms and compounds prior to moulding or extrusion.

Common pain points:

drying uniformity
cracking/defects
energy use

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO C

Typical Pain Points & How We Solve Them

Temperature Profile & Cure Quality

Rubber compounding and curing are sensitive to temperature deviations that affect crosslink density, mechanical properties and dimensional stability.

Solution: REVO C and REVO-PC-based architectures provide smooth power control and multi-zone regulation, helping mixers, presses, ovens and lines maintain tighter temperature profiles.

Start-Up, Energy Peaks & Electrification

Cold starts on mixers, extruders, presses and ovens can create high electrical peaks and long warm-up times.

Solution: Using appropriate firing modes, staged starts and, where required, demand limiting via REVO-PN and REVO-PC can smooth load application and reduce start-up demand compared with direct on/off switching.

Heater Failures & Unplanned Downtime

Heater and wiring issues in mixers, presses and lines can interrupt production and affect quality.

Solution: Open and partial-load detection, together with current monitoring from REVO C and REVO-PC, supports earlier fault detection and more targeted maintenance planning.

Line Speed & Process Synchronisation

Continuous vulcanisation, extrusion and calendering lines must coordinate heat input with line speed to maintain profile and cure.

Solution: REVO-PN and REVO-PC with multiple REVO-S or REVO-C zones can receive speed or load-related signals from PLCs, helping maintain suitable temperature profiles as throughput changes.

Data, Traceability & Modernisation

Rubber processors increasingly require better visibility of process conditions and energy use to support quality and improvement projects.

Solution: When REVO controllers are connected to PLC, SCADA or MES systems, power and alarm information can be logged alongside temperature and process data to support traceability and optimisation.

Changeovers & Recipe Flexibility

Frequent compound changes and varying cure cycles require predictable thermal response when setpoints are adjusted.

Solution: Digitally controlled SCR power through REVO C and REVO-PC allows heating behaviour to follow new setpoints more consistently, helping reduce scrap and variability during changeovers.

Snapshot: Curing Press & Post-Cure Oven Control Upgrade

Problem: a rubber moulding plant with contactor/SSR-controlled curing presses and a post-cure oven was experiencing variable mould temperatures, longer warm-up times and limited visibility of heater condition and energy use.

Solution: selected presses were upgraded using REVO-PN for multiple platen and mould circuits, while the post-cure oven zones were re-controlled with a REVO-PC master and REVO-S zone controllers. The plant PLC now exchanges setpoints and receives power, current and alarm data over an industrial fieldbus.

Result: tighter control of mould and oven temperature, reduced warm-up scrap, better visibility of heater performance and improved support for maintenance and energy monitoring (typical benefits achievable on similar upgrade projects).

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Why CD Automation?

REVO solutions for mixers, presses, autoclaves and lines
REVO-PC with Modbus, Profinet, EtherCAT into PLC/SCADA
Firing modes suited to band heaters, elements and IR sections
Support for OEMs, system integrators and plant engineering teams
Suitable for retrofits, expansions and new rubber processing lines

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Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Rubber & Elastomer Processing