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Rubber Materials & PropertiesEPDM Rubber: The Compound That Refuses to Age
EPDM outlives almost every other rubber in the sun, and the reason is a single structural decision made in the polymer itself: the double bonds ozone attacks were moved off the main chain and parked on a side group. This guide explains that chemistry, what it buys on a speaker surround, and the two places EPDM is the wrong answer.
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Rubber Materials & PropertiesCR (Chloroprene / Neoprene) Rubber: Great Material, Wrong Surround
CR earns its place in wetsuits, cable jackets and bridge bearings by being decent at everything and terrible at nothing. That same balance is exactly why it rarely wins a speaker surround. This guide is an honest look at what CR is good at, where it sits against butyl and EPDM, and what to spec instead.
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