*** Please note, each row and course# listed below is a separate, complete course. ***
Understanding Raw Materials, the Building Blocks of Rubber Compounding
| Course# | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 087-1272 | 03/17/2025 - 03/17/2025 | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Microsoft Teams |
| 087-1273 | 06/11/2025 - 06/11/2025 | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Microsoft Teams |
| 087-1274 | 11/10/2025 - 11/10/2025 | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Microsoft Teams |
Online Registration
CEU's: 0.8
Instructor: John Dick
Course Overview
This one-day course provides a current overview of the raw material supply chain to the rubber industry. The instructor will review the present and future international economics and its effects on raw material supply chain disruptions to rubber producers, custom mixers, rubber fabricators, molders, extruders and others. The chemical connectivity of rubber compounding materials to their chemical feedstocks will be presented. On completion of this course, the participants should be able to directly link new commercial changes in 175 commonly used chemical feedstocks to hundreds of different rubber compounding ingredients.
Course textbook (eBook PDF):
Raw Materials Supply Chain for Rubber Products (eBook PDF)
By John Dick and Charles Rader
Online Course Requirements
We want you to have a great experience participating in our remote (online) courses, and for that, you’ll need the right equipment and internet connection.
Minimum needs are:
- A broadband internet connection that has at least a 2 Mbps upload and download speed.
- A computer (PC or Mac) that can support the latest web browser versions.
- At least 4 GB of RAM and adequate hard drive space.
- A microphone and a speaker.
- International Students: For virtual (online) courses, an additional fee will be assessed to cover the cost of shipping the professional binder (presentation slides), to your address. The cost of international shipping can be significant.
For more information, visit our Online Course Requirements webpage.
Instructor Biography:
John S. Dick, a senior rubber scientist with Alpha Technologies, has over thirty years of experience in the rubber industry. Mr. Dick has authored over 50 journal and magazine publications and four books on polymer technology. He received the Monsanto Master Technical Service Award in 1994, the ACS Rubber Division Best Paper Award in 1995 and a University of Akron Appreciation Award in 1998 for Teaching Polymer Compounding Courses in their Continuing Education Program. He is a Fellow of ASTM International receiving the Award of Merit in 1990. In addition, he has represented the United States as a delegate to the ISO for the last 20 years. He was appointed in 1992 to be Leader of the U.S. Delegation to ISO TC-45 on Rubber. Mr. Dick teaches rubber technology courses at both University of Akron and University of Wisconsin continuing education departments. He received his B.S. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1970 and an M.A. from the University of Akron in 1979.
The course is divided into twelve sections:
- Introduction and Macroeconomics
- Strategic Raw Materials
- General Purpose Elastomers
- Specialty Elastomers
- Textile Reinforcing Materials and Their Adhesive Systems
- Thermoplastic Elastomers
- Polyurethane
- Carbon Black, Fillers, Reinforcing Agents, and Coupling Agents
- Process Oils, Synthetic Ester Plasticizers, and Processing Aids
- Curatives
- Antioxidants, Antiozonants, Tackifiers, Flame Retardance and Blowing Agents
- Intermediate Feedstocks (which includes the 30 vital intermediates, as well as, 135 other critical chemical intermediates with detailed information regarding availability disruptions that occur when they are in short supply.)