Five members of the Vip team recently completed a 14-week “Basic Rubber Technology Course” provided by The Los Angeles Rubber Group, Inc. (TLARGI). Adrian, Andie, Edwin, Louis, and Michael are some of the latest graduates from a course with a framework that dates back to 1934, when Ray Stringfield taught a “Rubber Technology” course at the University of Southern California (USC).
For the past 70 years, this elastomer training program has been a key part of TLARGI’s technical education efforts. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the most recent course was held online on Thursdays from 4 to 6 PM (PT) from October 14, 2021, and ending on January 27, 2022. RDAbbott’s Technology Fellow Rick Ziebell and AETS Rubber Technologist Matt Rogers were the course instructors.
TLARGI’s “Basic Rubber Technology Course” provides a comprehensive introduction to the following topics:
- Designing with rubber
- Formulating with rubber
- Compounding with rubber
- Fabricating with rubber
- Mold design and manufacturing with rubber*
- Testing with rubber
Additional topics include a rubber industry overview and history, silicone rubber, rubber-to-substrate bonding, recycling, latex, foam/sponge, mold building, and rubber test methods.
Vip celebrates the recent graduation of Adrian, Andie, Edwin, Louis, and Michael. Cheers!