Acrylic
elastomer is a general term for a type of
synthetic rubber whose primary component is
acrylic acid alkylester (
ethyl or
butyl ester). Acrylic elastomer possesses characteristics of heat and
oil resistance, with the ability to withstand temperatures of 170–180 °C. It is used primarily for producing oil seals and packaging related to automobiles. Acrylic elastomer can generally be characterized as one of two types. "Old" types include
ACM (
copolymer of acrylic acid ester and
2-chloroethyl vinyl ether) containing
chlorine and ANM (copolymer of acrylic acid ester and
acrylonitrile) without chloride. "New" types do not contain chlorine and are less prone to mold-related staining. Other than the slightly better water resistance of ANM there are no physical differences between the two types. The material is less resistant in terms of cold weather with a
saturation point of −15 °C for old types and −28 °C to −30 °C for new types. In terms of
vulcanization, the standard method for the old type is amine vulcanization. To minimize permanent deformation, the old type requires curing for 24 hours at a temperature of 150 °C. On the other hand, for the new type, the press curing time and follow-up vulcanization time are significantly reduced by combining metal soap and sulfur. It has no special characteristics. The rebound resilience and abrasion resistance of the new type are poor, and even its electrical characteristics are considerably poor compared with
acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber and
butyl rubber. == Uses ==