Late Summer Golf Outing - August 30, 2021
2021-08-30 | Silver Lake Country Club, 1325 Graham Rd, Stow, Ohio, 44224
Call for Sponsors
Registration Form
Event Information
There will be two shotgun starts: AM group – 8:00 AM (Play Your Own Ball) and PM group – 1:30 PM (Scramble)
Any morning player will have the opportunity to play an additional round in the afternoon for an additional $75.
Entry form must be received with payment by August 23, 2021.
Schedule of Activities:
7:00 AM Bag Drop – Morning Shotgun Registration Opens
7:15 AM Driving Range Opens
8:00 AM MORNING SHOTGUN
9:30 AM Bag Drop – Afternoon Shotgun
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:30 PM AFTERNOON SHOTGUN
6:00 PM Cocktails! (Cash Bar)
7:00 PM Dinner
8:00 PM Prize Awards

Fall Social Event - CANCELLED
2021-10-01 18:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | The Conrad Botzum Farmstead, 3486 Riverview Rd., Akron, OH, 44313
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF PARTICIPATION

Join us for a fun evening of social networking to welcome Fall.
Fall Event Flyer 2021
Bring your significant other, guest, or customer.
$20 per person
Cornhole Tournament
Food, Drinks, Bonfire & Live Music
Shuttle service will be provided to these local hotels, and will run from 5:30 – 10:30 pm:
1. Courtyard by Marriott Akron Fairlawn
2. Hampton Inn Akron-Fairlawn
3. Holiday Inn Akron West – Fairlawn, an IHG Hotel
Register Now! Deadline to register is September 17, 2021

Fall Technical Meeting
2021-11-09 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | OH
This event will be conducted via Webinar.
**Please RSVP to Mary Puskas at mpuskas@littlern.com. Once you register, she will send you the Zoom information.

Presentations:
Kayla Williams-Pavlantos, ORG Scholarship recipient, The University of Akron, PhD candidate in the Dept. of Chemistry
“Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Macromolecules and Small Molecules at Polymer Surfaces”

Jim Dimas, Strategic Account Manager, CPI Fluid Engineering, A Division of Lubrizol
“Additive Technology for Improved Dust Ring Life”

Bill Pavlek, Lead Technical Service Engineer, Organic Peroxides Applications, Arkema
“Luperox® Air® XL80 : A Novel Peroxide Technology for Elastomer Crosslinking in Air”

We hope you can join us for our last Technical Session of 2021.

Winter Technical Meeting
2022-01-25 16:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | OH
This event will be conducted via Webinar.
**Please RSVP to Mary Puskas at mpuskas@littlern.com. After you register, Mary will send you the Zoom information.

Technical Presentations:
“Engineering Academy Polymer Testing Course at Stow-Monroe Falls High School”
David Helmick, Engineering Academy Polymer Testing Instructor, Stow-Munroe Falls High School.
Students in the Academy learn about Polymers, CAD, electronics robotics programming, and manufacturing industries. Mr. Helmick is also starting a new career program at Stow High school titled Modern Manufacturing for Employment; which focuses on training junior students about manufacturing practices and gets them placed at jobs their senior year to leave school to begin work in the manufacturing field. Mr. Helmick is currently looking for companies to partner with to help employers with developmental talent.
Mr. Helmick‘s initial partnership with the Ohio Rubber Group began when ORG donated two new lab bench workstations to the polymers lab at Stow. This turned unused lab space into valuable learning space for the students which proved significantly beneficial during Covid to allow social distancing to take place.

“Building Ohio’s Elastomer Resiliency in Challenging Times”
Paul Boulier, Vice President for Industry and Innovation, Team NEO.
Paul serves as the Vice President for Industry and Innovation at Team NEO. He is responsible for developing and executing direct-to-company business growth and attraction for Team NEO in the region’s core industries; including Energy, Oil & Gas, Metal Fabrication and Machinery; Polymers, Elastomers, Chemicals and Coatings, as well as Packaging and Transportation.
Team NEO is a privately-funded regional business attraction and growth organization. It is a nonprofit that markets Northeast Ohio to the world, attracts new businesses and helps those that are here grow. Team NEO is the Northeast Ohio regional partner for JobsOhio, a private, nonprofit corporation that drives economic development and job creation for the State, as well as working closely with economic development organizations across 18 counties.

Spring Technical Meeting
2022-04-12 16:00 - 21:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Mary Puskas at mpuskas@littlern.com OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 341, Bath, OH 44210
Spring Technical Meeting Information and Reservation Form

Technical Presentations:
****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

General Considerations in Failure Analysis of Rubber and Plastics
Dr. Jason Poulton, Senior Technical Advisor, Akron Rubber Development Laboratory
Rubber and plastics will fail in a variety of unexpected fashions. A sound approach to assigning a root cause to a failure is almost always based on the foundation of the classical Scientific Method. This presentation will describe real world failure analysis projects from ARDL customers as well as the variety of analytical testing and reasoning used to assign root causes. If you have attended a presentation with the same title in the past, don’t worry……….our industry has no shortage of unexpected product failures so real world examples covered in previous presentations are constantly replaced with more recent examples.

Bioinspired Material Design from 3D Printed Rubber
Arnob Banik, ORG Scholarship Recipient, Global Technology Intern, The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, PhD Candidate, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Akron
Biomimicry, which means “mimicking nature”, enables scientists and engineers to learn how the science of special animal features can be applied to solve human problems and provide desired technological outcomes. Researchers have identified the potential to remain stable on flooded surfaces in some tree and torrent frogs with the help of their toe-pads. So, the dynamic friction performance of frog toe-pad-inspired surface patterns are investigated and compared them to a sample tire tread design. Three types of frog toe-pad-inspired designs were modeled and fabricated using Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) material by 3D printing technology. Moreover, The Echinocyamus pusillus (sea urchin), a versatile marine invertebrate, is well known for its skeletal structural design with excellent strength due to its overall shape and internal supports. Being inspired by the structures of the sea urchin, the impact tolerance of uniquely designed models has been examined. Specimens were manufactured through 3D printing using flexible TangoPlus FLX930 material to study the effects of buttress thicknesses, number, and spacing. Future work focuses on building bioinspired double core sandwich composite using additive manufacturing. Hence, the top core will be prepared using rubbery material mimicking the woodpecker’s head structure or to absorb greater energy from impact.

Most Effective Tests for Measuring Quality of Mix when Using Recycled Rubber Powders
John Dick, Richard Hanzlik, Alpha Technologies
The consumption of recycled rubber powder (RRP) for use in factory rubber compounds has been increasing greatly to improve the sustainability of today’s rubber industry worldwide. In the last twenty years, several new ASTM test methods have been developed for effectively measuring the quality of mix in the factory. This study was conducted to measure the quality of mix using these different ASTM procedures when RRP was included in the rubber compounds.

Summer Golf Outing
2022-06-14 09:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Yankee Run Golf Course, 7610 Warren-Sharon Rd., Brookfield, Ohio, 44403
Shotgun Start – 9:30 am
4 Golfer Scramble
Cost: $125 per person*
* Includes golf with cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, door prize, raffle ticket, skill awards and prizes.
Mulligan cards are available for an additional $5 each.
Registration Form deadline: June 6, 2022
Registration Forms and Corporate Hole Sponsor Forms
******Even if you don’t golf, join us for dinner!
DINNER ONLY: $40 (Catered by “Terrible Tom’s Barbeque”)
For those needing accommodations in Warren, rooms are available at the Avalon Inn and Resort.
Make reservations directly with the Avalon Inn & Resort at 800-828-2566.
Yankee Run Golf Course
7610 Warren-Sharon Rd.
Brookfield, OH 44403
330-448-8096

Late Summer Golf Outing - August 29, 2022
2022-08-29 07:00 - 20:30 UTC | Silver Lake Country Club, 1325 Graham Rd, Stow, Ohio, 44224
Event Information
Call for Sponsors
Registration Form
There will be two shotgun starts: AM group – 8:00 AM (Play Your Own Ball) and PM group – 1:30 PM (Scramble)
Any morning player will have the opportunity to play an additional round in the afternoon for an additional $75.
Entry Fee of $165 includes golf, lunch and dinner.
Entry form must be received with payment by August 22, 2022.
Schedule of Activities:
7:00 AM Bag Drop – Morning Shotgun Registration Opens
7:15 AM Driving Range Opens
8:00 AM MORNING SHOTGUN
9:30 AM Bag Drop – Afternoon Shotgun
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:30 PM AFTERNOON SHOTGUN
6:00 PM Cocktails! (Cash Bar)
7:00 PM Dinner
8:00 PM Prize Awards

Fall Technical Meeting
2022-09-27 16:00 - 21:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Information and Reservations Page
Email reservations to Mary Puskas at mpuskas@littlern.com OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 341, Bath, OH 44210

Technical Presentations:
****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Simultaneous Determination of Additive Concentration in Rubber Using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy
Stephen Merriman, ORG Scholarship Recipient, PhD Candidate, Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron
Using attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for direct quantitative analysis is highly desirable for many sample systems due to advantages such as rapid spectra collection and being completely nondestructive. However, formulated rubber represents a complex sample matrix for which the feasibility of direct quantitative analysis using ATR-FTIR is uncertain. The commonly used Beer-Lambert law may not be applicable, besides sample related complexities such as inhomogeneity, variable optical properties, or heavily overlapping absorption bands. In this work, we considered fully formulated vulcanized rubber with carbon black or silica as the primary filler as our system of interest. We developed a method to simultaneously quantify the concentration of three different antidegradents of similar chemical structure directly on rubber samples using ATR-FTIR spectra. Results show that absorbance follows the Beer-Lambert law well for the range of antidegradent concentrations considered. Despite this, a direct application of the Beer-Lambert law to deconvolute overlapping peaks between antidegradents proved insufficient. Through the application of partial least squares (PLS) multivariate analysis, remarkable prediction accuracy of within about 0.15 wt% error for all three antidegradents was achieved for both types of rubber formulations, even with high levels of carbon black. These results show the value this method has for quantitative analysis of additives in rubber. Our investigation highlights the potential usefulness of FTIR spectroscopy in general for rapid quantitative analysis directly on samples of interest without any prior chemical separation.

Cyber Security
Todd E. Riley, CISM, Cyber Security Manufacturing Leader, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
We will discuss cyber security while at home, work and traveling that you should consider to protect your data and assets. We will review a few notorious business incidents, significant impacts experienced, the growing cyber threats we face today, and a review of some basic security considerations. Covered will be cyber regulations, portable storage device use, vulnerability management, firewalls, password strength, multiple factor authentication, email address use, privacy, reporting suspicious behaviors, email red flags, business email compromise, process controls, software installation/updates, phishing, public WIFI, bluetooth, and social media use. In summary, cyber security is everyone’s responsibility. Slow down and think before you click.

Fall Social Event
2022-10-21 18:00 - 22:00 UTC | The Conrad Botzum Farmstead, 3486 Riverview Rd., Akron, OH, 44313
Join us for a fun evening of social networking to welcome Fall.
Bring your significant other, guest, or customer. Tickets are $35 per person.
Cornhole Tournament
Food, Drinks, Bonfire & Live Music
See Flyer for more information: Fall Event 2022 Flyer
Please register by October 7 by filling out this Registration Form, and sending to Mary Puskas.

Winter Technical Meeting
2023-01-24 16:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Mary Puskas at mpuskas@littlern.com OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 341, Bath, OH 44210
Winter Technical Meeting Reservation Form

Technical Presentations:
****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

“A Rheological Approach to Liquid Silicone Resins”
Richard Hanzlik, Applications Engineer, Alpha Technologies. Richard is also our 2022 Paul Glasgow Memorial ORG Member Scholarship Award winner.
The market for silicones and Liquid silicone resins is predicted to grow rapidly over the coming years. These materials can be extremely useful due to their unmatched optical clarity, chemical/ thermal stability, and ability to be injection molded into complex structures. However, optimizing formulations and process conditions can be a bit of a guessing game. The question “what is this silicone’s viscosity?” is a frequently asked one, and the answer is, “it depends.” In this observational study we will evaluate how a Rubber process analyzer can be used to predict the viscosity of LSR’s across a range of shear rates, temperatures, and states of cure.

“Sustainable EPDM Rubber, Expanding the Keltan® Eco Family”
Pete Spanos, Sr. Technical Manager, Arlanxeo North America.
Keltan® Eco, a bio-sourced EPDM with a 10-year commercial history, can be a part of the solution when it comes to the challenge of sustainably produced rubber products. In addition, we explore how a new approach based on ISCC+ certification is helping meet sustainability goals.

“What Can Gummy Bears Teach Us About Biological Elastomers?”
Justin Barone, Biological Systems Engineering, Center for Soft Matter and Biological Physics, Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech
Many organisms utilize biological elastomers for efficient motion. Biological elastomers are very efficient because they are able to return a large portion of an imposed strain energy. Biological elastomers do not exist by themselves but instead are surrounded by water and other molecules like sugars and salts. The surrounding environment can affect the biological elastomer performance. Here, results are presented that show different sugars can affect elastomer modulus and efficiency. The studied biological elastomers can be used to construct bioinspired devices that respond to their environment over time.

Spring Technical Meeting
2023-04-18 16:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each. Cutoff for advance reservations is April 16 at 4:00 pm. After this time, tickets are: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Mary Puskas at mpuskas@littlern.com OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 341, Bath, OH 44210
Spring Technical Meeting Information and Reservation Form

NEW for this meeting!
Offering two payment methods for Dinner Tickets
Either PayPal or Traditional – your choice
See Link for Details
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Technical Presentations:
****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

“Chain Shuffling: A Synthetic Pathway to Multiblock Copolymers”
Abhishek Banerjee, Grad. Student in Polymer Science, The University of Akron, and 2023 Scholarship Winner

“Introduction to Transfer Molding Using ACM”
Ryan Furno, Sr. Materials Engineer, Sigmasoft
Rubber manufacturing companies are using transfer molding more and more. The goal of this presentation is to provide a basic understanding of how ACM material flows and cures and to suggest fixes for defects. This could be weld lines, air trap, scorched material or insert deformation.

“Development of Silica Filled Military Track Pads”
Lucas Dos Santos, Senior Research Associate, PPG Silica Products, and Chris Tolliver, Physical Scientist, Army
Rubber parts in U.S. Army Fighting Vehicles Track Systems are subjected to wear and require regular replacement. Replacement of the parts can be time consuming and can put the crew at danger if parts fail during combat situations. The goal of this project is to develop track pads with improved durability over the current approved pads. It was hypothesized that the mechanism of failure involves heat build-up and tear of the pads at elevated temperatures. PPG Agilon® silica has shown to provide reduced heat build-up over other available fillers in natural rubber-based compounds. Track pads were developed at PPG, scaled-up at AirBoss of America Corp. and tested at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Grounds by GVSC on an A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Track pads showed durability significantly above the qualification requirements.

Summer Golf Outing
2023-06-14 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Brookledge Golf Club, 1621 Bailey Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, OH, 44221, United States
Shotgun Start – 9:00 am
4 Golfer Scramble
Cost: $125 per person*
* Includes golf with cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, door prize, raffle ticket, skill awards and prizes.
Mulligan cards are available for an additional $5 each.
Registration Form deadline: May 24, 2023
Registration Forms and Corporate Hole Sponsor Forms
******Even if you don’t golf, join us for dinner!
DINNER ONLY: $40 (Catered by “Terrible Tom’s Barbeque”)
NEW for this Golf Outing!
Offering two payment methods: Either PayPal or Traditional – your choice
If you pay via PayPal, you still need to send in your Registration Form!
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.
Brookledge Golf Club
1621 Bailey Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
330-971-8416
www.brookledgegc.com

Late Summer Golf Outing
2023-08-28 07:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Silver Lake Country Club, 1325 Graham Rd, Stow, Ohio, 44224
Event Information
Call for Sponsors
Registration Form
There will be two shotgun starts: AM group – 8:00 AM (Play Your Own Ball) and PM group – 1:30 PM (Scramble)
Any morning player will have the opportunity to play an additional round in the afternoon for an additional $75.
Entry Fee of $165 includes golf, lunch and dinner.
Entry form must be received with payment by August 21, 2023.
Schedule of Activities:
7:00 AM Bag Drop – Morning Shotgun Registration Opens
7:15 AM Driving Range Opens
8:00 AM MORNING SHOTGUN
9:30 AM Bag Drop – Afternoon Shotgun
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:30 PM AFTERNOON SHOTGUN
6:00 PM Cocktails! (Cash Bar)
7:00 PM Dinner
8:00 PM Prize Awards

Fall Technical Meeting
2023-09-26 16:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Mary Puskas at mpuskas@littlern.com OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 341, Bath, OH 44210
Fall Technical Meeting Information and Reservation Form

Pay in Advance for this meeting!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Technical Presentations:
“Sustainability in Rubber and Plastics”
Nicki Hershberger, Senior Technical Advisor, Akron Rubber Development Laboratories
Provides an overview of different sustainable / recycled products that can be used in elastomers and how to compound for them.

“Testing and Analysis Methods for Rubber Durability”
William Mars, President, Endurica LLC
Having an impact with durability analysis and predictions starts with good materials data. Reliable and accurate predictive methods require advanced testing equipment, software, and analysis methods. Topics of discussion will include testing methods for crack growth and intrinsic strength, strain-induced crystallization in filled natural rubber compounds, testing and analysis for ozone aging conditions, and workflow for durability analysis.

“It’s Not How Much You Make. It’s How Much You Keep.”
Fred Carter, Strategic Partner, Schooley Mitchell
In this presentation, Fred will be sharing practical insights from Schooley Mitchell’s fight against irrational and abusive pricing practices. This will include helping you recognize questionable vendor pricing practices and showing you how to combat prices that aren’t always as fixed as we assume. Afterall, who doesn’t love paying vague addons like hazmat charges? They sound official and mandated. Not always! Fred’s information will be useful for business owners, finance officers, purchasing agents, or even homeowners who are tired of having too much taken from what they’ve earned. For businesses these methods get millions of dollars returned to their bottom lines.

****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Winter Technical Meeting - 2024
2024-01-23 16:00 - 21:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Winter Technical Meeting Reservation Form
Need to Renew your Membership?? Complete the Membership Form and pay for both at same time!
Pay in Advance for this meeting!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Technical Presentations:
“Bio-Sourced Rubber Curing Ultra-Accelerator For Tire & Technical Rubber Good Applications”
John Kounavis, Sr. Technical Service Manager, SI Group
The tires and the technical rubber goods (TRG) industry is progressing rapidly towards sustainable and bio-sourced solutions. This automotive megatrend is primarily driven by regulatory pressure, environmental concerns, rubber industry needs as well as consumer perception. SI Group has been promoting sustainable as well as bio-sourced solutions for the rubber industry, in particular, rubber tackifiers and bonding agents. With this paper, we would like to present an experimental rubber curing ultra-accelerator with sustainable & bio-sourced product attributes. The product benefits to the tires & TRG market will be discussed along with some case studies.
“Therban HT: Compounding with a New Heat Resistant HNBR Elastomer”
Victor Nasreddine, NA Technical Manager, Arlanxeo
Therban® HNBR, Arlanxeo’s hydrogenated nitrile rubber, is a specialty elastomer with excellent mechanical, dynamic, and sealing properties combined with resistance to tear, abrasion, and aging. It is used in demanding automotive, industrial, and oil and gas applications. Under the hood automotive operating temperatures continue to increase as airflow is reduced around components due to aerodynamic engineering and space saving designs. Therefore, there is always a need for elastomers with improved heat resistance including HNBR. This paper presents the compounding and properties of Therban HT, a polyamide reinforced HNBR elastomer with improved heat resistance, in HNBR formulations.
“Investigating the Dependence of Elastomeric Fracture on Temperature and Rate”
Zehao Fan, Grad. Student in Polymer Science, The University of Akron, and 2024 Scholarship Winner
Decades of elastomeric fracture phenomenology due to Thomas and Smith demonstrated a remarkable fact that rubbers are stronger and tougher at lower temperatures. The prevailing explanation relates the fracture behavior to polymer viscoelasticity. Given the recent insight and evidence that toughness is determined by strength, we examine elastomeric fracture with a different perspective and conclude that chain scission dictates fracture characteristics including its temperature dependence. Working within a selected temperature range, stretching is shown to be entirely elastic at stretching rate below 0.17 s -1 , we demonstrate that the same temperature and rate dependencies of strength and toughness, observed by Thomas and Smith, still occur in our crosslinked polybutadiene (BR) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). The temperature effects on rate dependence of strength and toughness are found to be much stronger than that prescribed by the WLF shift factor aT. Moreover, crack propagates, upon either stepwise stretching or during creep, at a much lower speed at lower temperature that cannot be rationalized with polymer relaxation dynamics. Our new interpretation is that a carbon-carbon bond is stronger at a lower temperature, equivalently, it takes a longer time for a covalent bond to undergo dissociation in tension because available thermal energy is proportional to temperature T.

****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Spring Technical Meeting - 2024
2024-04-16 17:00 - 21:00 UTC | Goodyear Polymer Center, The University of Akron, 170 University Ave., Akron, OH, 44325
Agenda:
5:00 – Event Ticket / Membership Sales
5:30 – Technical Presentations
7:00 – Social Hour, Hors D’oeuvres, and Student Poster Session
PLEASE NOTE: CHANGE IN VENUE!
This event will be held at The University of Akron, in the Goodyear Polymer Center.
The Social Hour and Student Poster Session will be held in the 3rd Floor Atrium.
The Technical Sessions will be held in the Goodyear Auditorium.
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
FREE to Students, but you must make a reservation in advance.
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Spring Technical Meeting Reservation Form
Pay in Advance for this meeting!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Parking at The University of Akron: ORG will pay for your parking, but you must follow these instructions:
In advance: Download the App called “Parking.com”. Fill out your personal information, car details, and credit card information. All of this is required, even though the Ohio Rubber Group will pay for your parking.
Day of Event: Park in ANY parking lot on the Campus. Do not scan the signs for the lot you are in. Open the “Parking.com” app. Everyone will use Zone # 93957, regardless of which lot you are in. Confirm your car details, and select the time needed for the event. Be sure to apply your validation code: 4100.
Detailed instructions can be found in this Instruction Sheet

Technical Presentations:
“A Supramolecular Voyage on Elastomers”
Li Jia, Professor of Polymer Science and Chemistry, The University of Akron
B-Alanine oligomers with a precise length possess an extraordinary propensity to form B-sheets, and the B-sheets stack to form three-dimensional crystals. In this presentation, B-alanine as a highly effective reinforcing element of thermoplastic elastomers will be first discussed. The reinforcement is attributable to the hierarchically assembled supramolecular structure composed of the B-sheet crystal and a brush layer of hydrocarbon polymer covalently connected be the surface of the B-sheet crystal. The morphology of the B-sheet-based supramolecular assembly can be tailored to range from fibrous with the longest dimension on the order of hundreds of nanometers to particulate with all three dimensions within twenty nanometers. The fibrous and particulate assemblies reinforce the elastomer in similar manners and only differ in small details. Application of the supramolecular reinforcement strategy to thermoset rubbers has also been explored and will be discussed. Next, an application of B-alanine additives for recycling of ground rubber particles will be presented. The B-alanine additive engenders surface devulcanization of ground rubber particles (GRPs) and a spatially resolved acceleration of vulcanization of GRP-virgin rubber blends. The combination of such surface activity and reactivity improves the adhesion and eliminates the modulus contrast between GRPs and virgin rubber while keeping the necessary scorch time of vulcanization. The toughness of the resultant GRP-virgin rubber blend is significantly improved by a very small amount of the reactive B-alanine additive.

“Very High Structure Carbon Blacks to Address Challenges in Tire Compound Performance”
Lewis B. Tunnicliffe, Rubber Carbon Black R&D Director, Birla Carbon
One of the fundamental properties of carbon black is its degree of structure. Structure of carbon black plays an important role in controlling many rubber compound properties by screening or occluding significant amounts of rubber matrix. These structure-property relationships will be briefly reviewed along with their implications for rubber compound design. Birla Carbon’s range of very high structure (VHS) carbon blacks will be discussed, and their in-rubber performance in model truck tread formulations will be reviewed with a focus on improved abrasion resistance and hysteresis versus conventional carbon blacks. Benefits in terms of hysteresis and total tire rolling resistance are explored further using finite element analyses of truck tires at steady rolling conditions.

PANEL DISCUSSION “Career Pathways”
Masoud Rasavi, Senior Materials Scientist, Bridgestone Americas
Jacob Spoolstra, Manufacturing Process Engineer, The Kong Company
MD Bhuiyan, Sr. Principal Engineer, Collins Aerospace, Raytheon Technologies
Lewis B. Tunnicliffe, Rubber Carbon Black R&D Director, Birla Carbon
The panel will be focused on Career Pathways. They will discuss how they ended up in their current roles and the paths they took to get there. There will be tips for the students trying to enter the industry as well as for industry professionals looking to advance or change roles. The panelists may also touch on some hurdles they’ve faced and how they overcame them.

****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Early Summer Golf Outing - 2024
2024-06-19 08:00 - 16:00 UTC | Brookledge Golf Club, 1621 Bailey Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, OH, 44221, United States
Registration: 7:00 – 7:45 am
Shotgun Start: 8:00 am
4 Golfer Scramble
Cost: $140 per person*
* Includes golf with cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, door prize, raffle ticket, skill awards and prizes.
Mulligan cards are available for an additional $5 each.
Registration Form deadline: May 29, 2024
Registration Forms and Corporate Hole Sponsor Forms
******Even if you don’t golf, join us for dinner!
DINNER ONLY: $40 (Catered by “Terrible Tom’s Barbeque”)
Pay in Advance for this golf outing!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information. However, we still need you to fill out a Registration Form to have all the golfer names.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Brookledge Golf Club
1621 Bailey Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
330-971-8416

Late Summer Golf Outing - 2024
2024-08-26 07:00 - 20:30 UTC | Silver Lake Country Club, 1325 Graham Rd, Stow, Ohio, 44224
Event Information
Call for Sponsors
Registration Form
There will be two shotgun starts: AM group – 8:00 AM (Play Your Own Ball) and PM group – 1:30 PM (Scramble)
Any morning player will have the opportunity to play an additional round in the afternoon for an additional $75.
Entry Fee of $165 includes golf, lunch and dinner.
Entry form must be received with payment by August 19, 2024.
Schedule of Activities:
7:00 AM Bag Drop – Morning Shotgun Registration Opens
7:15 AM Driving Range Opens
8:00 AM MORNING SHOTGUN
9:30 AM Bag Drop – Afternoon Shotgun
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:30 PM AFTERNOON SHOTGUN
6:00 PM Cocktails! (Cash Bar)
7:00 PM Dinner
8:00 PM Prize Awards

Pay in Advance for this golf outing!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information. However, we still need you to fill out a Registration Form to have all the golfer names.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Rubber Explained Course
2024-09-24 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Course: Rubber Explained
Presented by our own Kylie Knipp
September 24 & 25: Includes the Rubber Explained course, a lunch, and a tour of ACE Laboratories

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Course will be from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, Twinsburg. Lunch is included. (Then stay for the ORG Technical Meeting.)
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, the Tour will be from 9:00 am – 11:00 am at ACE Laboratories
Course Overview: This course was designed for sales and executives working in the rubber industry. Centered around practical explanations and basic fundamentals, this is the perfect course for the non-technical individual. The course will cover the following topics:
– Key raw materials used in rubber compounding
– What a rubber formulation looks like
– Costing a rubber formulation
– Types of mixing processes
– Types of fabrication processes
– Interpreting a test specification
– Interpreting test results
– Basic testing methods
Price: $495 Member / $595 Non-member / Free for Undergraduate Student Members / $100 for Other Student Members
*Ohio Rubber Group members receive this course for FREE. Enter code: ORG2024
Register through the Rubber Division website: Click Here
*Please note that all memberships will be verified. If you are unsure if your ORG membership is current, please contact Denise Kotz.
September 24 Hotel address: Hilton Garden Inn, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio 44078
September 25 ACE address: 6800 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna, OH 44266

Fall Technical Meeting - 2024
2024-09-24 16:00 - 21:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Interested in Additional Education? New to the Rubber Industry? Check out the “Rubber Explained” Course offered earlier in the day. This course is FREE to Ohio Rubber Group Members
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Fall Technical Meeting Reservation Form
Pay in Advance for this meeting!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Technical Presentations:
“Smart Devulcanization of End-of-Life Tire Enhanced Interface Along With Mechanical Properties in NR/SBR Compound”
Marzieh Shabani, Grad. Student in Polymer Science, The University of Akron, and 2024 ORG Spring Meeting “Best Poster” Winner
Ground tire rubber (GTR) was devulcanized using plasma and sonication treatments for various time. The soluble content and cross-link density of the samples were analyzed, with Horikx’s model employed to assess the selectivity of these treatments. Additionally, we explored enhancing the interface between devulcanized ground tire rubber particles (DGRPs) and virgin rubber (NR/SBR) to mitigate crack propagation and defect acceleration in the blends caused by DGRPs. Adhesion energy measurements, conducted using laminates of cured and uncured rubber strips to model the interface, revealed a threefold increase after devulcanization, confirming a significant improvement in the interface. Plasma-treated DGTRs showed a slightly higher degree of devulcanization (76%) compared to sonication (73%), though this was accompanied by lower selectivity due to the effects of higher temperatures, indicating notable degradation. Mechanical properties, including Young’s modulus, improved by 123-200% after blending DGTR with virgin NR/SBR, while elongation at break decreased by 16-34%.

“Recent Advances in Polyisobutylene & Butyl Elastomers for Medical Applications”
Arsalaan Nisar Pathan, Grad. Student in Polymer Science, The University of Akron, and 2024 Scholarship Winner
Polyisobutylene (PIB) is a low Tg polymer which demonstrates excellent gas impermeability, oxidative resistance and high extensibility and typically finds use in tires as butyl rubber. Medical grade PIB elastomers like Styrene Isobutylene Block copolymers (SIBS) commercially available in drug-eluting stent coatings and glaucoma treatment devices, utilize the bioinert nature of the PIB backbone which makes the implant calcification resistant with no thrombosis or blood aggregation when implanted into the body. Although SIBS has modest tensile properties, reinforcement with styrene domains introduces drawbacks like poor creep properties, reduced gas permeability and inability to be sterilized by radiation during surgical procedures.
This talk will introduce a recent extension to the PIB elastomers family, where the soft PIB chains are reinforced with (1) semicrystalline Polyurethane hard segments and (2) disulfide network through additive-free vulcanization. These can be designed to cater to more dynamic medical applications like orthopedic implants or heart valve implants. The presentation will highlight the key features of these materials like excellent shape retention, flexural strength, resistance to calcification compared to other commercial polymeric biomaterials. These works suggest the viability of PIB for heart valve applications which can last for up to 1 billion cycles or a service life of around 35 – 40 years compared to the current valve alternatives which only last for 12 – 15 years.

“Silox’s Active ZnO vs Traditional ZnO”
Fatmeh Kuraan, Technical Sales Representative for Silox Canada
Silox is a worldwide supplier of Zinc oxide with manufacturing sites in Canada, Europe, and India. Zinc oxide is an important ingredient in the rubber world that encourages vulcanization. Vulcanization is an essential chemical reaction for rubber and improves rubber elasticity and strength making it more resilient and durable.
This presentation will introduce Zinc oxide and the many different chemical process to make Zinc oxide.
There will be a focus on Active Zinc oxide which offers many benefits in a rubber formulation and is a product of the wet process.
This presentation will compare Active Zinc oxide to French Process Zinc oxide which is the most commonly used in the rubber industry today.
We will go over the benefits of using Active Zinc oxide relative to cost, substantiality and processing improvements compared to French Process Zinc oxide.

***Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Winter Technical Meeting - 2025
2025-01-28 16:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit) | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Winter Technical Meeting Reservation Form
Need to Renew your Membership?? Complete the Membership Form and pay for both at same time!
Pay in Advance for this meeting!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Technical Presentations:
“Chloramine Devulcanization: Setting New Standards in Carbon Black and Rubber Recovery from End of Life Tires”
Dr. Patrick Kroeger, CTO, Arduro Sustainable Rubber
Arduro’s patented technology uses a unique two-stage process to devulcanize, separate, and recover raw materials from end of life rubber products. Through this process Arduro is able to produce both recovered carbon black and polymer from waste rubber products.

“LG Chem Americas New Technical Center, Tire Polymer Innovations, and Sustainability Strategy”
Paul Smith, Technical Service Engineer, LG Chem Americas
This presentation will highlight the capabilities of LG Chem Americas new technical center in Ravenna, Ohio. The company’s latest tire polymer innovations and sustainability strategy will also be touched on.

“Introduction to Understanding & Utilizing Analytical Testing”
Eric Britton, Technical Sales Manager, ACE Laboratories
This presentation is a basic overview of several thermal and analytical testing methods for polymers, and includes practical examples of their use in problem solving.

***Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Spring Technical Meeting - 2025
2025-04-29 17:00 - 21:00 UTC | Missing Falls Brewery, 540 S. Main St., Akron, OH, 44311, United States
Agenda:
5:00 – Registration, Bar Opens, Buffet Dinner Opens
5:30 – Technical Presentations
7:00 – Open Networking
PLEASE NOTE: CHANGE IN VENUE!
This event will be held at Missing Falls Brewery, 540 S. Main St., Akron.

Advanced Reservations: $35 each
***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number). We highly encourage you to pay in advance for this meeting, due to the setup, which is one large room. “Pay at the Door” will only be available until 5:30 pm because the Technical Presentations start at that time.
FREE to Students, but you must make a reservation in advance.
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Spring Technical Meeting Reservation Form
Pay in Advance for this meeting! This is now the Preferred Method of Payment because fees are lower.
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information.
Click here to register and pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.
Parking is available in the large lot in back.
****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****
Technical Presentations:
“Exploring the Failure Mechanisms of Elastomeric Systems”
Asal Yousefi Siavoshani, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Polymer Science, The University of Akron
This study investigates the fundamental mechanisms governing delayed rupture and fracture in elastomeric systems, with a particular focus on the roles of bond dissociation kinetics and chain dynamics.

“New “Swiss Army Knife” Molecule for Safety and Technical Performance”
Justine Guironnet, Key Account Manager, Rhein Chemie / Lanxess
Lanxess proposes an innovative and safe molecule that can be used in all types of compounds, like a Swiss army knife. Thanks to the chemistry of this molecule, mechanical properties are improved, blooming is avoided and toxic chemistry could be removed.

PANEL DISCUSSION: “Beyond Business Cards: Turning Networking into Opportunity”
Fred Carter, Strategic-Partner, Schooley Mitchell
Mike McDonnell, Business Development Manager, Ace Laboratories
Networking isn’t just about swapping business cards—it’s about building real connections that open doors. This presentation shares how professional societies, industry groups, and volunteer organizations can expand networks, deepen relationships, and create career opportunities. Drawing from experiences with the Ohio Rubber Group, the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, the Polymer Industry Cluster, Rotary, and Scouting, this session offers practical tips for getting involved, taking on leadership roles, and leveraging connections for job interviews, career growth, and personal enjoyment. Whether you’re a student or a seasoned professional, learn how to make networking work for you—with a bit of humor along the way.

****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Early Summer Golf Outing - 2025
2025-06-18 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Brookledge Golf Club, 1621 Bailey Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, OH, 44221, United States
Registration: 7:00 – 7:45 am
Shotgun Start: 8:00 am
4 Golfer Scramble
Dinner: 2:00 pm – Brookledge Pavilion
Cost: $150.00
* Includes golf with cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, door prize, raffle ticket, skill awards and prizes.
Mulligan cards are available for an additional $5 each.
Registration Form deadline: June 6, 2025
Registration Forms and Corporate Hole Sponsor Forms
******Even if you don’t golf, join us for dinner!
DINNER ONLY: $40 (Catered by “Terrible Tom’s Barbeque”)
Pay in Advance for this golf outing!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information. However, we still need you to fill out a Registration Form to have all the golfer names.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Brookledge Golf Club
1621 Bailey Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
330-971-8416

Late Summer Golf Outing - 2025
2025-08-25 07:00 - 20:30 UTC | Silver Lake Country Club, 1325 Graham Rd, Stow, Ohio, 44224
Event Information
Call for Sponsors
Registration Form
There will be two shotgun starts: AM group – 8:00 AM (Play Your Own Ball) and PM group – 1:30 PM (Scramble)
Any morning player will have the opportunity to play an additional round in the afternoon for an additional $75.
Entry Fee of $165 includes golf, lunch and dinner.
Entry form must be received with payment by August 18, 2025.
Schedule of Activities:
7:00 AM Bag Drop – Morning Shotgun Registration Opens
7:15 AM Driving Range Opens
8:00 AM MORNING SHOTGUN
9:30 AM Bag Drop – Afternoon Shotgun
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:30 PM AFTERNOON SHOTGUN
6:00 PM Cocktails! (Cash Bar)
7:00 PM Dinner
8:00 PM Prize Awards

Pay in Advance for this golf outing!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information. However, we still need you to fill out a Registration Form to have all the golfer names.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Introductory Rubber Course
2025-09-23 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Course: Introductory Rubber Composition & Testing
Presented by Brad Sellers
September 23: Includes the Introductory Rubber course, a lunch, and a tour of Smithers in Ravenna.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the Course will be from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, Twinsburg. Lunch will follow. From 1:00 – 3:00 pm, attendees will carpool and tour Smithers in Ravenna. We encourage you to return and stay for the ORG Technical Meeting.

Course Overview: Gain a foundational understanding of how rubber products are formulated, tested and evaluated in this engaging introductory course. Led by Brad Sellers of Smithers, a global leader in rubber and tire testing, this session will walk you through the key ingredients in rubber compounds, how they are combined and why each component matters for performance.
Drawing on his expertise in product evaluation, data analysis and failure investigation, Brad will connect composition theory with real-world testing practices. You’ll learn about common laboratory test methods, how to interpret results and how testing supports product development, quality assurance and problem-solving. Whether you’re new to the industry or looking to strengthen your technical foundation, this course will equip you with practical insights you can apply immediately in your work.

Price: $495 Member / $595 Non-member / Free for Undergraduate Student Members / $100 for Other Student Members
*Ohio Rubber Group members receive this course for FREE. Enter code: ORG2025
Register through the Rubber Division website: Click Here
*Please note that all memberships will be verified. If you are unsure if your ORG membership is current, please contact Denise Kotz.
Hotel address for Course: Hilton Garden Inn, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio 44078
Smithers address for Tour: 1150 N. Freedom St., Ravenna, OH 44266

Fall Technical Meeting - 2025
2025-09-23 16:00 - 21:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Interested in Additional Education? New to the Rubber Industry? Check out the “Introductory Rubber Composition & Testing” Course offered earlier in the day. This course is FREE to Ohio Rubber Group Members. Click here for more information.
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Fall Technical Meeting Reservation Form
Pay in Advance for this meeting!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please note that although we are using PayPal to make the transaction, you do not need to have a PayPal account. Simply just enter your Credit Card information.
Click here to pay in advance with PayPal
**Please note that your PayPal receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Technical Presentations:
“Troubleshooting Rubber to Substrate Bond Failures”
Justin Pflug, Application Specialist for Rubber and Urethane to Substrate Bonding, H.M. Royal
This presentation will elaborate on the many ways that bonded components fail, how to prevent those failures, and how to troubleshoot the failures that aren’t prevented.

“Conductive Silicone Technology”
Steve Griffin, Director of Business Development, RDAbbott
Silicone rubber is widely recognized for its exceptional insulating properties—but with the right material technologies, it can also become an excellent conductor. This presentation will explore how the electrical characteristics of silicone elastomers can be fundamentally altered using conductive fillers, enabling new solutions for industries requiring conductivity ranges from static-dissipative up to and including electrostatic dissipation (ESD), and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. This session will provide practical knowledge for engineers and designers looking to leverage conductive silicone technologies for enhanced product performance and market differentiation.

“The Polymer Industry Cluster: Building the Future Through Collaborative Action”
Hans Dorfi, Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer, Polymer Industry Cluster
The Polymer Industry Cluster’s mission is to address shared polymer industry challenges that require collaborative action and open innovation, while bringing mutual benefit and investment that leads to talent attraction, jobs, and economic growth. The presentation will cover its goals and objectives, the progress to date and the future outlook.

***Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Winter Technical Meeting - 2026
2026-01-27 16:00 - 21:00 UTC | Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg, OH, 8971 Wilcox Dr., Twinsburg, Ohio, 44078
Agenda:
4:00 – Dinner Ticket / Membership Sales
4:30 – Technical Presentations
6:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – Dinner
Advanced Reservations: $35 each ***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number available)
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Winter Technical Meeting Reservation Form
Need to Renew your Membership?? Complete the Membership Form and pay for both at same time!
Pay in Advance is the Preferred Method for payment. Avoid lines at the meeting! Click here to pay in advance for both dinner tickets and Membership.

Technical Presentations:
“Advanced Rheological Characterization of SBR with Recovered and Carbon Black Fillers Using Rubber Process Analyzer (RPA)”
Unal Yilmazoglu, Applications Engineering Manager, Alpha Technologies
With rising interest in sustainable fillers for rubber compounds, there is a growing need for detailed rheological characterization. Using RPA with Sub-Zero technology, this study provides a comparative rheological analysis of SBR compounds filled with recovered carbon and conventional carbon black at various filler loadings. Additionally, Fourier Transform (FT) rheology provides distinct viscoelastic fingerprints that differentiate recovered carbon from carbon black-filled formulations.

“Stiffness-Hysteresis Tradeoff in the Dynamic Mechanical Behavior of Rubber Compounds Reinforced with Precipitated Silica, Carbon Black, and Other Nanofillers”
Christopher G. Robertson, Principal Consultant, Polymer Technology Services LLC
A review of numerous data sets for temperature-dependent dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of various nanofiller-reinforced rubber compounds reveals that the peak height for loss tangent (tand) in the glass transition region is inversely related to the dynamic storage modulus in the rubbery state, the latter influenced strongly by the type and concentration of filler. The results that illustrate this stiffness-hysteresis tradeoff include recent DMA data for a model passenger tire tread compound, based on styrene-butadiene rubber reinforced with different loadings of precipitated silica and silane coupling agent. This general trend is also noted for published data for various rubber compounds filled with precipitated silica or carbon black and with data for various elastomer nanocomposites from scientific literature. Viscoelastic models show the same inverse relationship, independent of any material-related interpretation. This viscoelastic tradeoff will be discussed along with implications for the performance of tire treads and other rubber applications.

“Synthesis of Carboxyl Terminated Polymyrcene by Anionic Polymerization using CO2”
Trishna K Chengappa, PhD student and Scholarship Winner, The University of Akron
This work investigates the termination of anionically polymerized myrcene with carbon dioxide to produce carboxylic acid–terminated polymers, aiming to enable further functionalization and non-linear architectures like graft copolymers. Challenges such as maximizing carboxylation in bulk, managing side reactions with THF, and optimizing CO₂ addition are addressed through tailored reaction conditions and characterization methods.

***Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Spring Technical Meeting - 2026
2026-04-28 17:00 - 21:00 UTC | Missing Falls Brewery, 540 S. Main St., Akron, OH, 44311, United States
Agenda:
5:00 – Registration, Bar Opens, Buffet Dinner Opens
5:30 – Technical Presentations
7:00 – Open Networking
This event will be held at Missing Falls Brewery, 540 S. Main St., Akron.
Advanced Reservations: $35 each
***Without prior reservation: $40 each (limited number). We highly encourage you to pay in advance for this meeting, due to the setup, which is one large room. “Pay at the Door” will only be available until 5:30 pm because the Technical Presentations start at that time.
Reduced Fee for Students! Student dinner tickets are only $5.
Email reservations to Denise Kotz at denisekotz@strategicrealm.consulting OR mail to Ohio Rubber Group, PO Box 553, Hudson, OH 44236.
Need to Renew your Membership?? Complete the Membership Form and pay for both at same time!
Pay in Advance is the Preferred Method for payment. Avoid lines at the meeting!
We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with web payments.
Please send an email to Denise Kotz, and she will send you an invoice to pay in advance for dinner tickets and/or Membership. Be sure to mention in your email if you want to add membership dues to your invoice.
Parking is available in the large lot in back.
****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****
Technical Presentations:
“Flexoelectricity in Polyelectrolyte Elastomers as Sensors and Energy Harvesters”
Mehdi Sahami, PhD student and Scholarship Winner, The University of Akron
This work focuses on a class of elastomeric materials capable of generating electrical signals under non-uniform mechanical deformation. In other words, these materials can convert mechanical deformation into electrical output, making them promising candidates for sensing and energy harvesting applications.

“From Lab to Road: Testing Rubber for Real-World Performance”
Paul Merda, Education Coordinator/Technical Advisor, ARDL
This presentation explores how laboratory testing methods are used to evaluate and predict the real-world performance of rubber components in applications such as windshield wipers, tires, and engine mounts.

PANEL DISCUSSION: “From Passion to Profession: Paths, Pivots, and Possibilities”
Moderator: Fred Carter, Strategic-Partner, Schooley Mitchell
Panelists:
Will Mars, President, Endurica
Jason Poulton, Semi-Retired
Eric Britton, Materials Engineer, Bridgestone Americas
The goal of the panel will be to highlight some industry professionals with Engineering or PhD backgrounds and how they have progressed to their current position in the industry. We’ll aim to highlight some struggles, victories, and tips/lessons that might be helpful for the students, but also for young professionals.

****Please turn off cell phones during the presentations****

Early Summer Golf Outing - 2026
2026-06-17 07:00 - 16:00 UTC | Brookledge Golf Club, 1621 Bailey Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, OH, 44221, United States
Registration: 7:00 – 7:45 am
Shotgun Start: 8:00 am
4 Golfer Scramble
Dinner: 2:00 pm – Brookledge Pavilion
Cost: $150.00
* Includes golf with cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, door prize, raffle ticket, skill awards and prizes.
Mulligan cards are available for an additional $5 each.
Registration Form deadline: June 5, 2026
Registration Forms and Corporate Hole Sponsor Forms
******Even if you don’t golf, join us for dinner!
DINNER ONLY: $40 (Catered by “Terrible Tom’s Barbeque”)
Pay in Advance for this golf outing!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Please still fill out a Registration Form so we have all the golfer names. Email form to Denise Kotz.
Click here to pay in advance.
**Please note that your receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.

Brookledge Golf Club
1621 Bailey Road
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
330-971-8416

Late Summer Golf Outing - 2026
2026-08-31 07:00 - 20:00 UTC | Silver Lake Country Club, 1325 Graham Rd, Stow, Ohio, 44224
Event Information
Call for Sponsors
Registration Form
There will be two shotgun starts: AM group – 8:00 AM (Play Your Own Ball) and PM group – 1:30 PM (Scramble)
Any morning player will have the opportunity to play an additional round in the afternoon for an additional $75.
Entry Fee of $165 includes golf, lunch and dinner.
Entry form must be received with payment by August 24, 2026.
Schedule of Activities:
7:00 AM Bag Drop – Morning Shotgun Registration Opens
7:15 AM Driving Range Opens
8:00 AM MORNING SHOTGUN
9:30 AM Bag Drop – Afternoon Shotgun
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:30 PM AFTERNOON SHOTGUN
6:00 PM Cocktails! (Cash Bar)
7:00 PM Dinner
8:00 PM Prize Awards

Pay in Advance for this golf outing!
Note: This is now the Preferred Method of Payment!
Click here to pay in advance.
**Please note that your receipt will be from ACESS (Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies). This is correct.
