Monthly Archives: April 2015

Chemical Resistance and Rubber Products

Chemical Resistance and Rubber ProductsLearn about the chemical resistance of elastomers used in industrial rubber products.

Clyde Sharpe
General Manager of Elasto Proxy

Rubber products such as seals, gaskets, and hoses are used with many different chemicals. Contact between a rubber product and a chemical can be continuous or intermittent, and may occur at high or low temperatures. For technical buyers and product designers, it’s essential to choose an elastomer that provides the right amount of chemical resistance. It’s also important to understand that other factors, such as chemical concentration and operating temperature, can determine whether a specific rubber is right for your application.

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Butyl Rubber Gaskets

Butyl Ruber Applications: Seals and Gaskets
Butyl Ruber Applications: Seals and Gaskets

Learn about the properties of butyl rubbers and the applications for butyl rubber seals and gaskets.

Doug Sharpe
President of Elasto Proxy

Did you drive to work today? Maybe you took the bus instead. If your commute involved traveling on tires, then butyl rubber helped get you there. Tires are made of several different elastomers, but butyl plays a special role. Because this synthetic rubber resists the passage of gases, butyl is used for the inner liner, the part of the tire that holds the compressed air. Butyl also resists moisture, and that helps keep the steel belts that are embedded in car, truck, and bus tires from rusting. Butyl resists chemicals, too.

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UL 94 Flame Ratings and Solid Plastic Parts

UL94 flammability ratingsLearn how UL 94 flame ratings for solid plastics can help part manufacturers select the right materials for flame resistance.

Doug Sharpe
President of Elasto Proxy

Do you need plastic parts made from materials with UL 94 flame ratings? How well do you understand this flammability standard, and how can you be sure you’re selecting the solid plastics that you really need? For starters, here are few facts to consider.

  • Underwriters Laboratories (UL) doesn’t specify a single UL 94 flame rating.
  • There are different flame ratings for solid plastics, thin materials, and foamed materials.
  • There are different ratings depending on a burn specimen’s orientation (horizontal or vertical).
  • Not all plastics that meet the requirements of a UL 94 rating have been certified by UL.

Technical buyers and product designers don’t need to be UL 94 experts, but it’s important to understand some basics during compound selection.

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Cold Bonding for Custom Gaskets

Cold Bonded Gaskets
Cold Bonded Gaskets from Elasto Proxy

Learn how to determine if cold bonding is the right joining or splicing technique for your custom gaskets.

Clyde Sharpe
General Manager at Elasto Proxy

Do you need a custom gasket that looks the corner of a picture frame? L-shaped rubber gaskets require more than just dimensional accuracy. Application requirements and cutting techniques are important to consider, but so is the splicing method. Gasket fabricators use different technologies to join cut lengths into corners, so it’s important to consider all of your available options. In most gaskets designs, the corners are more susceptible to leaks than other parts of the seal.

Cold bonding is a joining method that offers important advantages, but it’s not right for every sealing application. So how can you determine if cold-bonded gaskets are what you need? For starters, let’s define cold bonding and compare it to some “hot” splicing techniques. We’ll also consider cold bonding in terms of application requirements such as performance and cost, and examine how waterjet cutting supports this cost-effective joining method. Finally, we’ll look at gasket assembly.

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