Engineered Rubber Products

Why Custom Fabrication Is Better Than Cyber Monday

Video Splash - Cyber MondayFor consumers, Cyber Monday is one of the biggest on-line shopping days of the year. For industrial buyers, the real deals are about value – and that means custom fabrication. Learn how Elasto Proxy adds value to your projects with custom sealing and insulation.

Ten years ago, a Senior Vice President for the National Retail Federation coined a phrase that describes what’s become an international marketing sensation. Cyber Monday, the marketing term for the first Monday after U.S. Thanksgiving, is now one of the biggest on-line shopping days of the year. The day that Ellen Davis named is aimed mainly at consumers, but industrial buyers like a bargain, too. Price is important, of course, but so are features. Yet neither matter if a product doesn’t meet your needs.

Custom fabrication isn’t the same as ordering an off-the-shelf product. It’s not like buying off-the-rack clothes on Black Friday, or ordering a blender on-line on Cyber Monday. Yes, Elasto Proxy has a down-loadable catalog of extruded rubber products. You can buy lengths of standard extrusions from us, and we invite you to learn more about all of our product groups – including molded parts. Where Elasto Proxy really adds value, however, is by solving your specific sealing and insulation challenges. (more…)

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How Custom Fabrication Helps Manufacturers Enjoy the Holidays

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Industrial supply chains need to stay strong between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Learn how to make the most of your relationship with Elasto Proxy, an experienced custom fabricator of industrial rubber products.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Here at Elasto Proxy’s world headquarters in Boisbriand, Quebec, the leftovers are long gone from our Canadian Thanksgiving, which we celebrated on October 12 this year. Now it’s time for our Simpsonville, South Carolina office to enjoy a well-deserved holiday. Manufacturers have much to be thankful for this year, but consumer behavior will soon capture most of the headlines. What, if anything, can industrial buyers and design engineers learn? (more…)

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Why Robots Need Rubber and Plastic Parts

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Rubber and plastic parts for robots are strong, lightweight, durable, and cost-effective. That’s not all.

When you were a kid, did you play with Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots? Part toy and part game, this childhood classic features two boxers – both robots – that are mechanically manipulated by the players. The Red Rocker and the Blue Bomber have been hitting each other since the 1960s, but today’s version of this simulated boxing match features less metal and more plastic. Plastics are generally lighter and cheaper than metals, but is plastic really tough enough for robots – even toy ones? Is rubber right for robots, too?

The answers may surprise you. (more…)

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How Custom Fabrication Strengthens Manufacturing Supply Chains

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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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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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Fluorosilicone Gaskets for Sealing and Insulation

Fluorosilicone Gaskets
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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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Neoprene Gaskets for Oil Resistance and Outdoor Sealing

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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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