Superior Formulations LLC

Slab Dips For The 21st Century™

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I can buy wettable calcium and zinc stearate powders, yet you say dry calcium and zinc stearate products are supplied only by Superior Formulations.
A: Wettable calcium and zinc stearate are available but they are heavy foam producers and they are not formulated products. A plain, wettable stearate coating will not stand up to cold flow, it can be dusty, and it will simply not provide a coating anywhere near the quality and integrity of an OVERCOAT™-based dip.
Q: We use multiple totes of a calcium stearate slurry every month and we work three shifts 24/7. If your CONSTITUTER™ really is about the size of a 55 gallon drum, how can it keep up with our slurry needs?
A: A typical calcium stearate slurry is 36% solids and 64% water. While the actual footprint of the CONSTITUTER is 18 by 27 inches and 41 inches tall, our small, computer-controlled unit can keep up with your slurry needs 24/7 even if your consumption of slurry is more than 300 totes per year. (In a typical installation, our smallest CONSTITUTER can generate just over 67 gallons of slurry at use level per hour.)
Q: What sorts of stock can you coat?
A: OVERCOAT anti-tack slab dips have been designed to coat stocks like acrylic and polyacrylic, butadiene, butyl, chlorobutyl, CPE, epichlorohydrin, EPDM, nitrile and hydrogenated nitrile, Neoprene®, SBR, and other rubber polymers.

The OVERCOAT/CONSTITUTER system accommodates virtually all rubber types including highly oiled and low Durometer stocks subject to cold flow. Coatings are thin film, non-dusting, greaseless, non-foaming, non-settling, quick-drying and uniform.

Q: The statement that we can save half or more on incoming freight seems like a stretch.
A: Consider that each 2,000 pound tote of slurry at 36% solids contains only 720 pounds of product. A pallet of dry OVERCOAT weighs 2,000 pounds. To get 2,000 pounds of solids from slurry you must buy 2.78 totes of 36% solids and pay freight on 2,000 pounds of product plus 3,558 pounds of someone else's water.

You can start saving immediately by switching to the OVERCOAT/CONSTITUTER system. Your dip tank level and solids percentage will be computer controlled and there will be no more empty drums or totes to deal with.

Q: My current system is automated and controls solids. How is your system better?
A: Automated systems available now simply dilute your purchased slurry to control the percent solids of their dispensed slurry.

Our CONSTITUTER not only makes slurry on site, on demand, it automatically controls both the dip tank level and dip tank solids. No one else does that.

Q: How much power does the CONSTITUTER use?
A: A single-phase 30A service is more than sufficient for the standard CONSTITUTER. Larger CONSTITUTERs or CONSTITUTERs operating in groups, of course, need more power.
Q: How big is the CONSTITUTER's footprint?
A: The standard CONSTITUTER is 18 inches front-to-back, 27 inches wide, and 41 inches to the hopper. The control panel tops out at 61 inches.
Q: How does it operate -- that is, does it make concentrate? If yes, how is it let down to our desired solids percentage?
A: The CONSTITUTER does, in fact, make a concentrated slurry. It monitors your dip tank's solids level and adds concentrated slurry and water as needed to maintain the desired dip tank solids percentage that's "dialed in" on the control panel.
Q: How is the CONSTITUTER maintained?
A: Day-to-day maintenance consists of cleaning up any OVERCOAT powder spills and standard safety-oriented housekeeping, e.g., keeping the area clear of obstructions or things laying about. We recommend checking the calibration of its internal scales at least annually, although the CONSTITUTER automatically adjusts for drift. As regards the CONSTITUTER's internals, the CONSTITUTER monitors itself and continuously reports its status and "health" to our servers.
Q: How does the CONSTITUTER maintain dip tank level and solids percentage?
A: The technical details are a trade secret, but we can tell you that we do not fool ourselves by measuring the slurry's conductivity. It's clear that the factory's water supply is changeable, for example, varying levels of chlorine or, perhaps more obviously, the dip's temperature. Basing any measurement on an unknown quantity is completely unreliable.
Q: How much does the CONSTITUTER cost?
A: There is absolutely no charge for the CONSTITUTER. All we ask for is water, power, and an Internet connection. (The Internet connection can be hard wired or wireless.)
Q: Are there different model size CONSTITUTERs to accommodate individual production line requirements?
A: Our smallest CONSTITUTER supports the vast majority of production lines, but there are multiple sizes and CONSTITUTERs are able to operate cooperatively in groups.
Q: We operate multiple production lines. Do we need a CONSTITUTER for each line?
A: That depends. If all of the lines are running the same OVERCOAT product, and there is a preference for a common OVERCOAT concentrate feed, then a multi-headed CONSTITUTER is appropriate. In this configuration, dip hydration is centralized and each dip tank has its own "head" for monitoring and management.

Multiple CONSTITUTERS can be installed if there are different OVERCOAT products in use or there is a preference to isolate the production lines.

Q: We buy anti-tack slab dip in tank trucks. Can a CONSTITUTER really keep up with our production needs?
A: Absolutely. Depending on the percent solids you're buying now, and the number of tank trucks, an appropriately sized CONSTITUTER (or group of CONSTITUTERs) can provide you with fresh, ready-to-use dip 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Q: How heavy are bags of OVERCOAT powder?
A: A standard bag of OVERCOAT weighs 25 pounds. OVERCOAT powder is shipped in 2,000 pound pallets. There are 80 25-pound bags of OVERCOAT per pallet.