Continental has upgraded its material compound for commercial vehicle air springs. Material experts within the ContiTech group sector have substituted synthetic rubber with natural rubber that has been improved by adding ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM). As a result, the rubber compound’s carbon footprint of the new Tough RuNR air springs has been reduced by more than 50 percent compared with conventional air springs, says Continental. At the same time, the company states, the new material covers a wider range of climate conditions and is resistant to both extreme heat and extreme cold.
According to Continental Tough RuNR offers the combination of dynamic excellence and protective properties. Continental’s new natural rubber compound with high-performance EPDM should slow down material ageing and reducing other harmful influences from tough environments. Continental emphasizes that the improved carbon footprint of Tough RuNR air springs is just the start of a perpetual journey toward more sustainable and circular rubber-based products for transport and logistics. A journey for which the material experts feel well equipped. At the IAA Transportation,
Continental will present its Tough RuNR air springs and also highlight how the use of recycled materials, better recyclability of materials and the use of bio-based materials will improve the environmental impact of air springs in the future. Alongside its new product, Continental will showcase its wide-ranging plans for more sustainable air springs. Drawing on their extensive knowledge of materials for vehicles and many other industries, the company’s experts will present plans to use more recycled materials, more renewables and more bio-based materials for rubber compounds.