Gasket Shapes for Extruded Rubber Seals
There are four common shapes for extruded rubber seals. Do you know which shape is the right choice for your gasket application? Engineers and seal designers can choose P-shapes, D-shapes, E-shapes, and lip seals. Purchasing agents can either order cut lengths or buy spliced gaskets.
In this article from Elasto Proxy, you’ll learn when to choose and how to use the four common shapes for extruded rubber seals. We also invite you to stay tuned for a series of short videos that will explain what you need to know about P-seals, D-seals, E-seals, and lip seals. (more…)
What are the true costs of industrial rubber products such as seals, gaskets, and insulation? Buying rubber materials and fabricating them in-house may seem cost-effective, but is your company really saving money? For that matter, are you sacrificing quality, consistency, and potential sales opportunities for a questionable cost savings?
What’s the best way to cut industrial rubber products like seals, gaskets, and insulation? Manual cutting, die cutting, water jet cutting, and abrasive water jet cutting each offer advantages. They also meet different business and technical requirements. As this article from Elasto Proxy explains, choosing the right cutting method for your application requires a complete and careful analysis. 
When is nitrile rubber the right choice for sealing and insulation? This common elastomer is known by many names, including Buna-N, NBR, and acrylonitrile butadiene. There are plenty of trade names for nitrile, too. No matter what you call it, nitrile rubber offers good resistance to oils, fuels, and chemicals. Temperature and environmental conditions are limiting factors, however, and may require the selection of a more expensive material such as Viton™.
Nitrile rubber provides good-to-excellent resistance to many oils and solvents. Examples include:
Commercial grade rubber provides sealing and insulation for a wide variety of applications. Compounds such as commercial grade EPDM, silicone, and neoprene also cost less than specialty rubber materials that meet standards, approvals, or regulatory requirements from organizations such as ASTM International, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
How is silicone rubber used for sealing and insulation? Silicones have valuable properties, but engineers need rubber that meets specific requirements. If you’re wondering whether silicone seals, gaskets, or insulation are the right choice for your application, consider some of the uses for this versatile polymer. The examples you’ll read about aren’t the only uses for silicone, but they’re representative. 
When is silicone rubber the right choice for sealing and insulation? Silicones have many desirable properties, but can cost more than other polymers. That’s why some engineers avoid them – even though silicone prices have fallen. At the same time, newer materials such as thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are interesting but even more expensive.
TPE profiles are replacing EPDM rubber in applications such as mobile equipment, food equipment, and infrastructure. Unlike EPDM, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are recyclable. That’s especially important in Europe, where manufacturers are moving away from petroleum-based materials.
