Author: Steve Melito

This author has written 772 articles

Rubber Channels for Sealing and Insulation

Rubber Channels from Elasto Proxy
Video: Rubber Channels from Elasto Proxy

Rubber channels keep window glass from rattling and seal out wind, weather, and water. Learn how to select rubber channels for your application, and how custom channels are fabricated from standard rubber profiles.

Rubber channels help to secure window frames and hold window glass in place. They eliminate rattling and provide protection against weather, water, dust, rust, and drafts. Most rubber channels are formed through extrusion, a manufacturing process that creates profiles with complex cross-sections and a smooth surface finish. Beaded rubber channels contain stainless steel beads to support installation without stretching or pulling. Unbeaded glass run channels with coated linings are also available.  (more…)

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Neoprene Gaskets for Oil Resistance and Outdoor Sealing

Video: Neoprene Gaskets
Video: Neoprene Gaskets

Neoprene gaskets are made of oil-resistant elastomers that also provide weather resistance and environmental sealing. Learn more about neoprene rubber’s applications and advantages, and how finished neoprene gaskets are custom-fabricated from standard neoprene profiles.

Neoprene gaskets provide resistance to oils, greases, and waxes; oxidation and ozone; and weathering and water immersion. A type of synthetic rubber (SR), neoprenes are a large family of elastomeric materials that are available in various types or grades. Some are compounded with EPDM or NBR to impart specific properties. Chemical, temperature, and flame resistance varies by neoprene compound, but neoprene rubber is generally known for its oil resistance and use in outdoor applications. (more…)

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Extruded Rubber Seals: Five Types You Need to Know

Extruded Rubber Seals - Video
Video: Extruded Rubber Seals

Extruded rubber seals support complex cross-sections and a smooth surface finish. They include bulb, bulb trim, lip, door, and accordion seals. You’ll find all five types in Elasto Proxy’s catalog, along with many other rubber extrusions that are ready for custom fabrication.

Rubber profiles are made of elastomeric compounds and produced through molding or extrusion. Lengths of standard rubber products are then custom-fabricated to meet application requirements such as length. Rubber molding processes such as injection, compression, and transfer molding have their advantages, but extrusion supports the creation of rubber profiles with complex cross-sections and a smooth surface finish. As a custom fabricator, Elasto Proxy stocks extrusions made of solid rubber and sponge rubber, and can convert these standard products into specialty seals that meet your specific requirements. (more…)

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Adhesive Taping vs. Mechanical Fastening

Video: How to Attach Taped Rubber Parts
Video: How to Attach Taped Rubber Parts

Learn how adhesive taping attaches rubber parts to plastic, metal, and glass surfaces – and why taped gaskets provide a strong, reliable alternative to mechanical fasteners such as bolts and screws. Then, download the Make It or Buy It? E-Book. 

Rubber parts such as door seals, edge trim, and weather stripping can be attached to plastic, metal, or glass surfaces. Mechanical fasteners like screws and bolts are strong and reliable, but installation is time-consuming. The use of adhesive tapes can speed assembly, but taping also offers other important advantages. By understanding these benefits, and how high-strength adhesive tapes compare to mechanical fasteners, you can choose the best attachment method for your rubber parts. If taping is right for your sealing or insulation application, you can then decide which type of taping you need. (more…)

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EPDM Gasket Fabrication: Water Jet Cutting, Bonding, Taping

EPDM gasket fabrication supports environmental sealing and electrical insulation. Learn how Elasto Proxy custom fabricates EPDM profiles into finished EPDM rubber gaskets. Then, download the Sealing Essentials E-Book. EPDM gaskets…

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Extruded Rubber Profiles for Custom Seals and Gaskets

Video - Extruded Rubber Profiles
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Learn how extruded rubber profiles are made, and how custom fabrication converts elastomeric stock materials into specialty seals and custom gaskets. Click here for Elasto Proxy’s catalog of standard profiles.

Rubber extrusion is a manufacturing process that creates stock materials or profiles with a fixed cross-section such as a U-shaped channel. First, uncured elastomers are pushed or drawn through a specialized metal tool called a die. Later, the rubber compound is cured through vulcanization, a chemical conversion process that uses heat and sulfur to impart durability and improve mechanical properties.

Rubber extrusion is used with many different types of elastomers, and this rubber manufacturing method supports complex cross-sectional profiles with an excellent surface finish. Because extrusion mixes and blends the raw materials, the cured rubber offers consistent strength and a uniform appearance along the length of the profile. Standards from the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) define part tolerances based on physical dimensions and an RMA class of high precision, precision, or commercial. (more…)

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Vulcanized Gaskets and Rubber O-Rings

Hot SplicingLearn about hot splicing for rubber gaskets, and how vulcanization creates O-rings, door gaskets, window gaskets, and other spliced seals.

Hot splicing or vulcanization is a cost-effective joining technique for creating continuous seals or endless gaskets from cut lengths of rubber products. First, a heat-activated adhesive is applied to the ends of sponge or solid profiles. In addition to rectangular profiles, rubber products such as round cords, industrial tubing, and irregularly-shaped rubber profiles can be hot spliced, too.

Next, the ends of the profiles are pressed together and placed in a hot mold or vulcanizing press. The heat activates the rubber-based glue, and pressure from the mold or press creates a reliable, attractive joint for continuous sealing. Proper dwell time is important, and hot spliced gaskets should be stored under controlled conditions in warehouse environments according to standards such as DIN 776 or ISO 2230.

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Military Rubber Gasket Specifications

Military GasketsLearn about military specifications for rubber gaskets, and why defense contractors need a custom fabricator that can do more than convert elastomeric materials.

Military specifications for rubber gaskets are designed to ensure that elastomeric materials support the mission by meeting published performance requirements. Standards and specifications for the U.S. military are authorized by the Department of Defense (DOD), and used by defense contractors throughout North America. Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers are familiar with these standards, but may not fully understand how the details of a particular specification can affect purchasing and manufacturing decisions.

Official DOD definitions specify many different document types, but the format of each military standard generally begins with the letters “MIL”. For the defense supply chain, however, complying with what’s inside the standard is what matters. With rubber gaskets, buyers need to choose materials that meet or are tested to published requirements for properties such as hardness and oil-resistance. In addition, elastomeric gaskets for defense-related applications must be custom fabricated to exacting tolerances.

Let’s take a look at two military standards for rubber gaskets: MIL-R-900F and MIL-G-1149C. First, however, we’ll examine a related standard for non-metallic gasket materials.

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Military Gasket Design

Military GasketsMilitary gaskets for armored vehicles must account for media, temperature, application, and pressure (MTAP). Defense contractors are familiar with acronyms like MRAP, but gasket designers who include MTAP in their seal designs help support the mission.

Clyde Sharpe
General Manager of Elasto Proxy

Have you ever wondered why the military uses so many acronyms? Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines need to convey information quickly, accurately, and efficiently. Suppliers to the defense industry are also more likely to hear a term such as “MRAP” than the phrase “mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle”.  For defense contractors who want to do business with military buyers, mastering these acronyms can be learning a new language. The process may be challenging at times, but the rewards are worth it.

Like any specialized discipline, gasket design has its own language, too. For example, many rubber gaskets are made of synthetic elastomers with names such as Buna-N and EPDM. Published specifications such as ASTM D2000 use letters and numbers to “call out” the properties of vulcanized rubber in a highly-structured way. Units of measure such as durometer (hardness) are sometimes unfamiliar, so buyers and designers may need assistance in order to translate the language of rubber into project specifications.

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