Optimization of Rubber Product Manufacturing with Design of Experiments Analytics

Quality defects are common during rubber products manufacturing. Their occurrence requires labor and cost to evaluate, troubleshoot, and solve. These quality defects occur during both new product development and production. In the rubber molding industry, quality defects are most commonly dimensional issues caused by rubber shrinkage. The rubber shrinkage will cause the products’ dimensions to be out of specification. It is complex to solve this problem, because of the many independent variables involved in the manufacturing process. This research employs Design of Experiments (DOE) to identify the significant factors for controlling and minimizing the rubber shrinkage rate for Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR) compounds. After comparing multiple methods of DOE, the factorial design results were implemented into a case study, a trial run on the manufacturing line. This validated the results. The shrinkage rate was reduced by 40.5% compared to the baseline.

Author

• Zhu, Shande

Language

• English

Keyword

• Design of Experiments
• Optimization
• Rubber Shrinkage

Date created

• 2025

Type of Work

• Dissertation

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Engineering Management

Degree

• D.Engr.

Advisor

• Berry, Bonaire G

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/gf06g357c