System and method for continuously manufacturing cured membranes

A process for the continuous production of cured rubber membrane, the process comprising:

• (i) forming a first composition including ethylene-propylene-diene rubber;
• (ii) mixing the first composition under high shear and increasing the temperature of the first composition to a temperature of about 130 to about 175° C.;
• (iii) cooling the first composition to a temperature of about 70 to about 130° C.;
• (iv) after cooling the first composition, adding a curative to the first composition to thereby form a continuous stream of curable rubber composition, where the curative includes sulfur;
• (v) after adding a curative, increasing the temperature of the continuous stream of curable rubber composition to a temperature of about 135 to about 165 C;
• (vi) after increasing the temperature of the continuous stream of curable composition, removing volatiles from the continuous stream of curable composition;
• (vii) forming the continuous stream of curable rubber composition into a continuous green-rubber extrudate;
• (viii) curing the continuous green-rubber extrudate to form a continuous cured membrane;
• and
• ix) fabricating the continuous cured membrane into rolls of cured membrane, where the curable rubber composition is characterized by at least one of a too at 190° C. of from about 1 to about 12 minutes and a T5 at 135° C. of from about 5 to about 20 minutes.