AVK rubber - a seal of quality

For almost 50 years, AVK GUMMI has developed rubber components for the water, natural gas, healthcare and food industries. By maintaining complete production control through our high-tech facilities and one of the world's most advanced mixing plants, we can offer unique rubber compounds of exceptional quality and uniformity.

AVK’s own rubber with uncompromising standards of excellence

No matter which industry you are in, it is essential that the rubber components inside your valves, hydrants and couplings are of the highest quality to ensure a safe, watertight seal and trouble-free operation, even after many years without use. Through our rubber factory, AVK GUMMI A/S, we develop and produce our own rubber components to make absolutely sure they meet and exceed our customers’ – and our own – uncompromising standards of excellence. Our gate valve wedge design and other market-leading innovations provide the reliability you need to safeguard your network, your supply and the health and safety of your customers. This is especially important for drinking water network operators, who can only be sure of an uncontaminated supply by choosing a valve supplier that gives such priority to quality and compliance.

Rubber compounds with unique ability to regain original shape

AVK’s rubber compounds have an excellent compression set, which means the ability to recover the original shape after having been compressed. Even after many years of operation, tiny pebbles, sand and other impurities will not affect the rubber surface or the tightness of the rubber.

A man operates a machine to prepare for a AVK rubber test

Test method for permanent deformation: The rubber is deformed by 25% of its original thickness at a constant temperature for a specific time. The pressure on the rubber is relieved and the layer thickness is measured after half an hour. The smaller the deformation, the better the memory effect.

Compression set (S) =

d₀-d₁

d₀-d₂

d₀ = original thickness of the test specimen
d₁ = thickness of test specimen after test
d₂ = thickness of test specimen in compressed condition

State-of-the-art rubber technology and production facilities

We benefit from high-tech production facilities and from one of the world's most advanced, fully automatic mixing plants, where the raw materials are weighed and dosed automatically, reducing risk of human error considerably. Our quality management system is certified in accordance with international standards and includes 100% control of each rubber compound, full traceability, SPC control, FMEA and a zero-defect production. In addition, our extraordinarily clean and safe production environment makes it possible to provide rubber components of a continuously high quality at the agreed time of delivery.

No contamination of drinking water

Organic substances such as medicinal paraffinic oils and waxes migrate from rubber compounds. They act as nutrients for microorganisms, which will then start forming biofilm. Therefore, AVK EPDM rubber recipes are composed with focus on minimising the formation of biofilm. The rubber will therefore not provide breeding ground for bacteria.

Download DVGW W270 approval regarding microbial growth

EPDM rubber with high resistance

AVK Gummi manufactures rubber compounds for drinking water based on compounds approved in most parts of the world, considering local recommendations, standars and legal requirements. Our drinking water approved EPDM compounds are resistant to ozone and water treatment chemicals, and are of course taste, smell and colour neutral.

Chlorine and other chemicals are commonly used to clean new pipelines or disinfect old ones. Ozone and chlorine may also be added in low concentrations to make the water drinkable.

Ozonation is used to reduce smell and taste or to reduce bacterial activity. The chemical reaction will also cause degradation of rubber materials, if not adequately formulated to encounter highly reactive chemicals such as ozone. AVK’s own compound EPDM is superior to any other material, including many other EPDM materials. The unique structure can withstand an extremely high concentration of ozone. After 200 hours of exposure in 200 pphm, the properties of AVK’s EPDM have not changed, while both the SBR and NBR grade are suffering.