Hypalon availability? 1

[NickJ67]

Gentlemen,

A wanderer from the pumps forum here so please excuse my ignorance.

I work for a progressing cavity pump manufacturer and elastomers are a key component used for the stators. We use various rubber types and grades to cater for different fluids handled. Among our selection used to be CSM (Hypalon). My company has recently stated that they can no longer continue to supply CSM due to global production being halted by Dupont. While CSM does not make up a big proportion of our selections, where it is selected, it is selected for good reason and choosing an alternative from the rest of the available range offered can be problematic or expensive. Other materials in the standard range are NBR, EPDM, FPM, HNBR and Silicone and many previously CSM applications are now having to be FPM family which are alot more costly. This affects both new selection and spares supply for existing installed base. As you can probably imagine it is the spares supply that causes the bigger headache!

As CSM family elastomers seems to have a wide range of uses worldwide, my first thought is that surely Dupont are not the only company supplying CSM base stock in the world. I'm suspicious that the company is just taking the "easy way out" and not bothering to set up new supply due to relative low volume.

So does anyone have the low down on this? What really is the supply situation for CSM? Stator manufacture takes place in the US and Germany at present, some is in house and some by outside suppliers.

Thanks

Nick

 

[GrahamBennett]

Yes it's true - DuPont stopped CSM production some months ago. According to my information a high acrylonitrile NBR might be a suitable replacement. There is always chlorinated polyethylene (CM) as well if it's still produced. ACM might also serve in some of your applications.

 

[tom1953]

Millable urethane is finding success in replacing CSM in some applications, although you have to work harder to get FR properties as CSM, having some chlorine in it, is inherently fairly flame retardant.

Tom Jablonowski, TSE Industries, Inc.

http://www.tse-industries.com

 

[Metten]

There are other CSM producers. For example in China (NGS elastomers has a source there) and Tosoh from Japan. The volumes are not what Dupont could deliver unfortunately and also not all types are being produced. (replacing hypalon 40 is possible, 4085 is harder)

EPDM and HNBR would be my first choice of replacements in other types of rubber.
(my company uses NBR and HNBR for stator applications)

 

[NickJ67]

Thanks to all.

Yes, we can offer EPDM (reasonable cost) and HNBR (much less reasonable). We have tried polyurethane (sourced from an "aftermarket" supplier embarrassingly) and in worked pretty well in that particular application. Was just trying to check to see if they are being lazy or if there really is now sensible supply alternative.

One of the European PC pump makers uses CSM as their default.... wonder what they are going to do?!

Thanks

Nick