Curing Bladder Coatings

McLube® offers active water and solvent-based bladder coatings designed to protect curing bladders for their entire lifespan. Applied before or after the bladder has been fitted, these active coatings bond to the surface of the bladder to provide long-term protection from physical and chemical abrasion, especially where the bead contacts the bladder surface. The tire bead is particularly degrading because of the harder chafer compounds used to improve the durability of this area. Chafer compounds release harmful substances, namely sulfur, during the curing process which cause the bladder to stiffen over time, resulting in cracking of grooves on the bladder surface that are crucial to facilitating air bleed.

McLube® bladder coatings prevent degradation of the bladder and venting grooves by forming a durable, protective barrier between the bladder and the tire that will stand up to the harshest curing conditions. These products also provide some slip to aid tire release from the bladder surface. Our customers report a 20-40% increase in bladder life when using McLube® bladder coatings together with our line of specialty inside tire paints. McLube® will recommend one of our bladder coatings based on the type of bladder and desired cure, or one of formulation chemists may engineer a custom bladder coating to achieve your process-specific goals. Contact McLube® to learn more.

McLube® bladder touchup lubricants are designed for application over one of our durable bladder coatings to add additional slip for start-up on new bladders. These coatings help newer, stiffer bladders locate inside the green tire to minimize defects common during startup as well as offer additional protection against abrasion. The initial tackiness of new cure bladders often makes release exceedingly difficult for the first few tires. Our touch-up bladder lubricants will not only aid location but also facilitate release of the tire to make startup easier across the board for tire manufacturers.

These coatings are water-based, VOC-free formulations that may be wiped or sprayed onto the bladder surface or, in some cases, on the green tire itself. McLube® bladder touchup lubricants have also been used to replace or reduce inside tire paints in certain processes. Depending on your bladder type and the other process aids used, your operation may benefit from using a McLube® bladder touch-up lubricant. Contact us today to learn more.