Blog

Military Vehicle Acoustic Insulation

Acoustic and Thermal InsulationAcoustic and thermal insulation won’t stop an IED attack, but it’s still mission-critical. Learn about acoustic foams and thermal management materials, and how Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates insulation sandwiches that protect engines and soldiers against noise, heat, and vibrations.

Clyde Sharpe
General Manager at Elasto Proxy

Military machines like the MRAP are designed to project power while protecting personnel. With their V-shaped hulls and add-on armor, the mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle can withstand IEDs, mines, RPG rounds, and small arms fire. Ballistic protection alone won’t keep armored vehicles on patrol, however. The MRAP is powered by a big diesel engine that runs hot and loud. Without engine bay insulation, heat and noise could put both the powerplant and military personnel at risk.

(more…)

Continue ReadingMilitary Vehicle Acoustic Insulation

Military EMI Gaskets

EMI Gasket FabricationEMI gasket fabrication requires more than just cost-effective cutting. Precision, accuracy, and reliability are critical. In Part 2 of this series, you’ll learn how Elasto Proxy fabricates EMI gaskets made of particle-filled silicones for military and defense applications.

Clyde Sharpe
General Manager at Elasto Proxy

EMI gaskets made of particle-filled silicones are used with joints and seams in metal-to-metal interfaces. This EMI shielding conducts electricity and ensures conductivity even when there are discontinuities along metal surfaces. As we learned in Part 1 of this series, elastomeric shielding gaskets are filled with either metal- or metal-coated particles. These shielding materials combine the useful physical and chemical properties of silicone rubbers with reliable electrical conductivity and specific levels of resistance to electromagnetic interference (EMI).

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll examine how the custom fabrication of EMI gaskets supports shielding for military and defense applications. Accordingly, it’s important to note that product designers need these EMI gaskets in many different shapes and sizes. In addition to square gaskets and knife-edge profiles, examples include C, D, L, and M-shaped profiles. There are various ways to convert particle-filled silicones from sheets or rolls into specialized shapes, but water jet cutting offers advantages over methods such as die cutting.

(more…)

Continue ReadingMilitary EMI Gaskets

EMI Shielding and Conductive Silicones

EMI Gaskets from Elasto Proxy
EMI Gaskets from Elasto Proxy

Particle-filled silicones are elastomeric compounds that combine the advantages of silicone rubber with the electrical properties of metals. In Part 1 of this series, you’ll learn how shielding silicones support custom EMI gaskets.

Silicone rubber is a synthetic elastomer with useful physical and chemical properties over a wide range of temperatures. Silicones resist weathering, ultraviolet light, oxidation, moisture, and many chemicals. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) compounds are also flexible, permeable, and non-irritating to human skin. With applications ranging from medical gaskets and oven seals to building expansion joints and lubricants, silicone rubbers are versatile materials.

(more…)

Continue ReadingEMI Shielding and Conductive Silicones

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.

(more…)

Continue ReadingChemical Resistance and Rubber Products

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.

(more…)

Continue ReadingButyl Rubber Gaskets

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.

(more…)

Continue ReadingUL 94 Flame Ratings and Solid Plastic Parts

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.

(more…)

Continue ReadingCold Bonding for Custom Gaskets

High Temperature Thermal Insulation

Learn how to select thermal insulation for ovens, engine bays, and other high-temperature applications.

Clyde Sharpe
General Manager of Elasto Proxy

Acoustic and Thermal InsulationThermal insulation is used in high-temperature environments such as ovens and engine compartments. Many different types of materials, including fireproof rubber, are available. Choices include ceramic fiber, fiberglass, mineral fiber, mineral wool, polyurethane, silicone, and various specialty or proprietary materials. As you can see from this list, some thermal insulation is made of polymers. Others, such as metal foils, are not.

Thermal insulation materials come in different forms, too. Choices include boards, blocks, cords, coated fabrics, flexible sheets, foams, paper, and tapes. As a custom fabricator, Elasto Proxy can source thermal protection materials in these and other form factors. We then convert stock items to create specialty thermal insulation that meets all of your application requirements.

For example, using our water jet cutting machine, Elasto Proxy can convert sheets of melamine foam into thermal insulation with specific length and width dimensions. Our skilled production personnel can also convert thin sheets of aluminum foil-faced fiberglass fabric. Sometimes, however, cutting isn’t that all you need. That’s because your application requires more than just thermal insulation.

(more…)

Continue ReadingHigh Temperature Thermal Insulation