Decode: reverse engineering for rubber.
Decode is how we analyse a finished rubber part and turn it into a set of targets that a new compound can meet. It is routine in the industry for second-source qualification, benchmarking and failure investigation. It is a science of inference, so we say plainly what it can and cannot tell you.
Three levels
Choose how far to go.
Identify
Polymer family and, where the method allows, sub-type; filler type and level; ash, volatiles and extractables.
You receive. A written identification report with the methods used and the confidence of each finding.
Profile
Identify, plus a property profile of the sample: hardness, density, tensile properties, compression set and swell in the fluids that matter to you.
You receive. A profile report and a table of match targets with proposed limits.
Match
Profile, plus candidate compounds developed against the targets, with side-by-side data for the sample and each candidate.
You receive. A data package, a recommended specification and, if you proceed, a path to batch supply.
Quoted per project after a short scoping call. Analysis is carried out by partner laboratories chosen for each method. Pascalor plans the programme, interprets the results and develops candidate compounds.
What Decode can tell you
- Identify the polymer family and sub-type, usually by two independent methods.
- Estimate polymer, carbon black, mineral filler, ash and volatile content.
- Identify filler classes and many plasticisers and extractables.
- Measure the physical profile and the fluid response of the sample.
- Develop and test a compound that meets the same targets.
What it cannot
- Recover the exact recipe, supplier grade names or the mixing cycle.
- Identify every low-level additive with certainty.
- Say anything about approvals. They do not transfer to a new compound.
- Replace service testing. A match on paper still has to be proved in your application.
Rights and scope
What we will and will not analyse.
We accept parts you own or are otherwise entitled to analyse: your own products, parts you bought and may lawfully analyse, failure investigations, and second-source work where it is permitted. We decline requests to copy a recipe or product that is protected by confidentiality terms, patents or trade secrets that you have no right to replicate. A matched compound is a new compound with its own name. We never use the original maker's name or marks, and any approval or certificate held by the original does not apply to it.
Your samples, results and targets are treated as confidential and used only for your project. We will sign a mutual confidentiality agreement before receiving samples. We do not publish your data or results unless you agree in writing.
How a project runs
- Scoping call and written scope.
- Rights and confidentiality check.
- Sample receipt and logging.
- Analysis by partner laboratories chosen for each method.
- Interpretation, with findings graded by confidence.
- Report, and a decision on whether to develop a match.
What to send
- Three to five parts, or about 50 g of material, from the same lot.
- The part drawing or specification, if you have it.
- The service conditions: fluids, temperatures, pressures, motion, and any failure history.
- The approvals or customer requirements that apply.
- What you intend to do with the result (second source, benchmarking, failure analysis).
What we ask you first
- Is the part yours, or are you entitled to analyse it?
- What outcome do you need: identify, profile or match?
- Which fluids, temperatures and pressures does it see?
- Which approvals or customer specifications apply?
- How many parts can you send from one lot?
- When do you need the result?
The report
What the report contains.
- Sample identification and condition
- Methods and laboratories
- Composition findings, with confidence
- Property profile
- Interpretation and limits of the findings
- Match targets and proposed limits
- Next steps
Read before you send a sample
The guide explains the methods, what each can show, and why the result is an estimate of composition and a set of properties to match.