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How Custom Fabrication Strengthens Manufacturing Supply Chains

Video - Custom Fabrication at Elasto Proxy
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Custom fabrication isn’t just about converting materials. It’s about strengthening your supply chain. Learn how custom fabrication improves quality, controls costs, and meets demanding requirements.

Custom fabrication is a type of manufacturing that turns stock items or materials into finished parts or products. Typically, these  items or materials are made of rubber, plastic, metal, concrete, or wood, and are supplied in standard forms such as sheets, rolls, tubes, rods, billets, bars, extrusions, and slabs. Custom fabricators use many different types of production equipment to cut materials to size, and some companies also offer value-added services such as joining and assembly.

A custom fabricator’s capabilities determine whether parts and products can be supplied in low, medium, or high-volume quantities. Global companies like Elasto Proxy have a network of warehouses, and can release custom fabricated products according to customer sales forecasts. We can also ship finished products on demand. Custom fabrication thus adds flexibility to the manufacturing supply chain, but does it add value to your operations? Industrial buyers and product designers need to consider a variety of factors, especially during vendor selection. (more…)

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Acoustic Foams for Noise Control in Vehicles and Equipment

Video - Acoustic Foam for Noise Control
Video – Acoustic Foam for Noise Control

Acoustical foams absorb and dampen sounds. Some of these foam rubber materials also provide flame resistance. Product designers need more than just an acoustic foam, however. They need a custom fabricator who can convert stock materials into a custom insulation solution.

Acoustic foams are used for sound absorption and sound dampening in applications such as military vehicles, commercial trucking, and equipment enclosures. They’re usually made of silicone, urethane, or foam-based melamine. Some acoustical foams offer additional properties, such as thermal resistance or fire resistance. For specialized applications, acoustical foams can be added as layers within “insulation sandwiches” that also contain fillers, adhesives, and barrier materials. (more…)

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How to Choose Rubber Weather Stripping

Video - How to Choose Rubber Weather Stripping
Video – Rubber Weather Stripping from Elasto Proxy

Rubber weather stripping provides either static or dynamic sealing. Sealing pressure is essential, and some elastomers are more resilient than others. Technical buyers and product designers need to compare open cell and closed cell rubber, specify the durometer or hardness, and choose the right compound.

Rubber weather stripping prevents the flow of air and water between two surfaces, such as a door and door frame. Standard weather stripping may be suitable for residential use, but applications in the automotive, building and construction, and electronics industries often require a custom sealing solution. Custom-fabricated weather stripping ensures part quality while speeding installation and reducing material waste.

But what do buyers and designers need to know about weather stripping selection? Let’s take a look. (more…)

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Rubber Truck Bumpers for Impact Resistance

Video - Rubber Truck Bumpers from Elasto Proxy
Video – Rubber Truck Bumpers from Elasto Proxy

Rubber truck bumpers from Elasto Proxy help keep trucks and trailers on the road instead of in the shop. Learn how these impact-resistant rubber bumpers meet ASTM standards, and are available in 10 different types for vehicle protection.

Rubber truck bumpers help protect trucks and trailers as they backup to loading docks, or when a driver opens the truck’s side doors. They absorb energy from low-speed collisions and low-force impacts while helping to keep trucks on the road instead of in the body shop. These rubber auto parts cost less than truck body repairs, and are easy-to-install with standard metal fasteners such as screws, bolts, and washers.

Rubber truck bumpers are made from elastomeric compounds that can withstand sunlight, rain, snow, and incidental contact with petroleum products and automotive chemicals. SBR and EPDM rubber are good choices because they can handle these road conditions while providing good tensile strength and abrasion resistance. (more…)

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NSF/ANSI 61 Gaskets for Drinking Water Systems

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Video – NSF/ANSI 61 Gaskets for Drinking Water Systems

NSF/ANSI Standard 61 establishes health-related requirements for rubber seals and gaskets used in potable water systems. Learn how NSF/ANSI 61 can affect your project’s costs, how there’s a difference between NSF/ANSI 61 complaint and NSF/ANSI 61 approved materials, and how water jet cutting and infrared splicing create high-quality custom rubber gaskets.

Custom rubber gaskets that are used in drinking water systems need to be free from chemicals that can leach into water supplies and affect human health or cause unpleasant tastes and odors. Additives such as plasticizers, antioxidants, and solvents are designed to impart desirable material properties, but can react unfavorably with water treatment chemicals such as chlorine. Leachates from rubber gasket materials can also affect the formation of fungi, algae, and bacteria.

Technical buyers and product designers whose organizations specialize in drinking water systems are familiar with these problems already. Building and construction companies also need to understand the risks – and the requirements for mitigating them. By choosing a gasket fabricator that understands requirements such as NSF/ANSI 61, you can source the right materials and receive high-quality plumbing components that support your projects. (more…)

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Infrared Splicing for Custom Rubber Gaskets

Video - Infrared Splicing from Elasto Proxy
Video – Infrared Splicing from Elasto Proxy

Infrared splicing isn’t the same as hot splicing, but both joining techniques offer advantages. Which splicing technique is right for your custom rubber gaskets – and how do these film splicing methods compare to cold bonding?

Splicing joins lengths of extruded rubber to create elastomeric products such as hollow O-rings, low-closure force seals, and large-diameter profiles that are too expensive to mold.  Splicing methods vary, and choices include film splicing, cold bonding, C-press injection molding, and vulcanizing. By working with an experienced gasket fabricator, you can select the right splicing technique for your application.

Each splicing method offers advantages, but film splicing creates strong bonds without adhesives. This joining method also supports fast cycle times and creates strong corners that won’t crack. Film splicing isn’t new, but it’s important to understand how infrared splicing compares to traditional hot splicing. For larger seals, more durable splices, and an alternative to molded parts, IR splicing is a strong choice. (more…)

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Certified Transit Grade (CTG) Seals Resist Flame, Smoke, and Toxicity (FST)

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Video – CTG Seals Resist FST

Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates EPDM gaskets made of certified transit grade (CTG) rubber that resists flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST). Technical buyers and design engineers who source custom-fabricated CTG seals can meet mass transit industry requirements and precise project specifications.

Mass transit systems need to operate efficiently while ensuring passenger safety and controlling costs. Bus accidents, train derailments, and subway delays capture the headlines, but the mass transit industry must manage other risks, too. Fires within a cabin, vehicle, or passenger car can do more than burn seats, wall panels, and other interior components. Smoke from combustion reactions can obscure escape routes. Burning materials that release toxic gases can also overwhelm passengers and employees, too. (more…)

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Rubber Sheets for Flooring, Sealing, EMI Shielding, and Insulation

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Video – Rubber Sheets from Elasto Proxy

Rubber sheets aren’t only used for flooring. They’re also used for environmental sealing, EMI shielding, and sandwich-style insulation against heat, noise, and vibration. Choose standard sheet stock or specialty sheeting, and ask Elasto Proxy to use water jet cutting and laminating or adhesives to create your custom solution.

Rubber sheets are used for sealing and insulation in industrial, commercial, and military applications. Many different types of rubber sheet stock are available, but an off-the-shelf product may not be right for your application. By working with a custom fabrication specialist, industrial buyers and designer engineers can source standard or specialty elastomers and then have rubber sheeting cut to size. Elastomeric sheets with laminates or adhesives already applied can also speed sheet installation. (more…)

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Industrial Tubing for Low Compression Sealing and Shock Absorption

Video - Industrial Tubing from Elasto Proxy
Video – Industrial Tubing from Elasto Proxy

Industrial tubing that’s made of rubber or plastic provides low compression force sealing and shock absorption. So whether you’re thinking about replacing metal tubing, or wondering which type of rubber tubing or plastic tubing is right for your application, Elasto Proxy is ready to help.

Industrial tubing is used in fluid transport, electrical sheathing, and structural applications. Metal tubes resist high temperatures and provide physical strength, but typically cost more than rubber or plastic tubes. Some metals are also subject to rust, corrosion and scaling – problems that can reduce flow rates and cause higher pressure drops. For industrial buyers and design engineers then, choosing the right type of industrial tubing begins with material selection. What type of tubes do you need for your application? (more…)

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Fluorosilicone Gaskets for Sealing and Insulation

Fluorosilicone Gaskets
Video: Fluorosilicone Gaskets from Elasto Proxy

Fluorosilicone gaskets combine the high and low temperature resistance of silicones with the fuel and oil resistance of fluorocarbons. Some fluorosilicone gasket materials also resist abrasion and provide EMI shielding. Is fluorosilicone the right rubber for your gasketing application?

Fluorosilicones combine the temperature resistance of silicones with the fuel, oil, and solvent resistance of fluorocarbons. Applications for these extreme-environment elastomers include automotive, aerospace, defense, electronics, and semiconductor manufacturing.

For technical buyers and design engineers, however, choosing the right rubber can involve more than just specifying a temperature range, oil or fuel type, and industry. Is flurosilicone rubber right for your sealing and insulation application? If so, what type of fluorosilicone compound do you need? Some provide specialized properties that you might not expect.  (more…)

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