Polyvinyl chloride-based elements for floor cleaninig units
Formulations of polyvinyl chloride blended with nitrile rubber are provided. These formulations have been found to be useful in floor cleaning units, and provide a cost savings benefit, while meeting the physical and chemical property demands for the floor cleaning unit parts into which they are formed.
1 . A process for producing a soft durometer polyvinyl chloride compound comprising the sequential steps of:
adding PVC resin to a mixer and heating, under agitation, to a temperature of from about 140° F. to about 170° F.;
adding plasticizer and stabilizer to the PVC resin and raising the temperature to from about 185° F. to about 195° F.;
adding at least one ingredient selected from fillers, blowing agents, pigments, internal lubricants and external lubricants and raising the temperature to from about 220° F. to about 240° F.
transferring the resultant mixture to a cooling mixer and lowering the temperature to the range of from about 120° F. to about 70° F.;
adding nitrile rubber to the cooled mixture; and
feeding the resultant nitrile rubber mixture to an extruder to shear and fuse the mixture at a temperature of from about 280° F. to about 350° F.
2 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
pelletizing the nitrile rubber mixture at the extruder.
3 . The process of claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
forming the pellets into an element of a floor cleaning unit, the element being selected from the group consisting of sealing members, mounts, tubing and contact members.