"Our rubbers are perfect for complex applications in sports," says Jürgen Gunther, Head of Global Sales in the High Performance Elastomers (HPE) business unit at Arlanxeo. "In soccer, for example, they enable accurate shooting, while they cushion impact in running shoes and protect against cold in diving suits," he adds. The Arlanxeo business units HPE and Tire & Specialty Rubbers (TSR) will present their comprehensive range of "sporting" rubbers at the exhibition in Nuremberg.
High-Tech for Ball Sports
Be it soccer, basketball, or golf, Arlanxeo products are used in many types of sports. Arlanxeo even ensures top performance for the official match ball of the soccer World Cup in Russia – with the sustainable rubber Keltan Eco. The layer of foam rubber beneath the exterior of the ball ensures optimal bounce.But whether it’s for soccer, basketball or handball, all balls should remain firm for as long as possible. The air in the ball has a ball bladder with X_Butyl, and the butyl rubber from the TSR BU is particularly gas-tight. Even squash balls comprise a significant part of butyl rubber leading to a high level of elasticity. In the case of golf balls, perfect flight characteristics are ensured by means of butadiene rubbers from the Buna brand, which are embedded in the hard rubber core beneath the exterior. "The demands are extremely high here," says Hans Joris, Global Marketing Director Non-Tire at TSR. "We have special processes in place to ensure that we meet all the demands."