Rubber & Safety Materials

In the automotive industry, driver and passenger safety is a paramount concern. To mitigate the risk of harm to life and limb, automotive manufacturers employ high-quality technical textiles that are designed to meet demanding performance and safety requirements.

These automotive textiles see use in virtually every aspect of a vehicle, including:

• Carpeting
• Seating
• Safety systems
• Power transmission belts
• Hoses
• Sound insulation
• Thermal barriers

Rubber and Safety Materials in the Automotive Industry

At Tex Tech, we produce a variety of rubber and safety materials suitable for applications in the automotive industry, including for:

Power Transmission Belts

Our reinforcement fabrics are designed for use in the construction of power transmission belts, including:

• V-belts
• Micro V-belts
• Power steering belts
• Timing belts
• Other specialty belts

Our team works diligently to produce and coat materials to suit each client’s unique needs. Regardless of performance criteria or adhesion requirements, we have the resources to provide our clients with the ideal material solution to virtually any problem.

Mechanical Rubber Applications

Our mechanical rubber fabrics can be designed to meet your exacting needs. Whether this means the material needs to be fuel, abrasion, or chemically resistant we can help design the perfect solution. Tex Tech has a broad range of materials that are well suited for use in seals and gaskets. For all the materials we provide, including mechanical rubber, we offer support and guidance from design to development, as well as sub-assembly fabrication services.

Some of the rubber materials we work with include:

• Natural
• Nitrile
• Chloroprene
• EPDM
• Fluoroelastomer

Tire Reinforcement

Chafer fabric is a specialized material intended for use in the sidewalls of tires. This material provides a protective layer between the cord body piles and wheel, preventing chafing and the consequent damage to the automotive components. As chafer fabric typically experiences high levels of friction, it requires a rubber coating for additional abrasion resistance. The rubber also enhances the material’s dimensional stability, flexibility, and adhesive properties. Our coated chafer fabric is used in tires for aviation, off-the-road, and passenger equipment applications.

The inner lip of the tire is made with a metal wire bead, its primary purpose is to provide the strength to keep the tire mounted on the rim and to help transfer the forces between the tire and the wheel. This wire bead is often covered with a rubber coated fabric called bead wrap (or flipper strips). Our rubber coated bead wrap materials offer superior tack, adhesion and abrasion resistance to help meet the demanding requirements of today’s lower profile passenger tires as well as agriculture and off the road tires.

Additional Tex Tech Products

In addition to the products outlined above, we also have a range of specialized airbag fabrics. We leverage proprietary technology to create coated products designed for the most critical automotive function: preserving life during automotive collisions.

These fabrics demonstrate heat resistance, high tensile strength, and low air permeability, making them suitable for use in:

• Driver airbags
• Passenger airbags
• Side airbags
• Curtain airbags

Tex Tech’s Capabilities

At Tex Tech, our team is armed with an extensive range of fabric knowledge, which allows us to provide our clients with a variety of material processing capabilities, including:

• Multiple coating applications in a single pass
• Multiple-surface and impregnation coating methods
• Film lamination (as many as eight films per pass)
• Material widths up to 100 inches
• Surface enhancements (e.g., emboss, peel ply, etc.)
• Custom processes (e.g., bias shifting, edge treatments, slitting)

In addition to our capabilities, we maintain a number of industry standard, safety, and quality certifications and statuses, including:

• IATF 16949 quality registration
• ISO 14001 certification
• Zero-landfill status
• Six Sigma Black Belt certification
• A2LA accreditation

Partnering With Tex Tech

When lives are at stake, Tex Tech delivers reliable, high-quality material solutions. You can count on our products to meet the consistency and safety standards demanded by the automotive industry.

To learn more about our material offerings, contact us today.