Military

Military Gaskets

military gasketsMilitary gaskets provide sealing and insulation in some of the world’s most demanding environments. Marine applications include amphibious landing craft, battleships and submarines, and radar and sonar systems. Aerospace applications include aircraft, unmanned systems, satellites, and radar. Military gaskets for land systems are also used in armored vehicles, tanks, tankers, trucks, and onboard electronics.

For design engineers, specifying the right rubber gaskets for military projects can be a complex task. Many defense contractors are familiar with acronyms like MRAP, but has your design team heard of MTAP? This four-letter acronym from Elasto Proxy explains how engineers need to consider media, temperature, application, and pressure during gasket design and compound selection. (more…)

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EMI Shielding Gaskets for Military Electronics

emi shielding gasketsEMI shielding gaskets for military electronics are used in everything from touchscreens to targeting systems. To prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI) from disrupting electronic equipment, Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates EMI shielding gaskets from particle-filled silicones. These specialized materials combine the materials properties of silicone rubber with the electrical properties of metal. Elasto Proxy uses waterjet cutting to convert shielding silicones, and bonds cut lengths with conductive adhesives.

EMI gaskets from Elasto Proxy meet the requirements of MIL-DTL-83528, a U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) specification for electrically-conductive elastomeric shielding gaskets. MIL-DTL-83528 establishes minimum shielding effectiveness levels for various material types over a frequency range of 20 MHz to 10 GHz. MIL-DTL-83528 also specifies hardness or durometer (Shore A) measurements for shielding silicones that are categorized as low, medium, or high durometer. (more…)

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Military Land System Rubber Gaskets

Military Land SystemsRubber gaskets for military land systems provide sealing and insulation under battlefield conditions. These reliable rubber products are found in main battle tanks, light armored vehicles, armored fighting vehicles, weapons systems, and mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles. As a gasket fabricator that’s been serving the defense industry for over 25 years, Elasto Proxy supports military land systems from gasket design assistance and compound selection to custom fabrication, warehousing, and logistics. (more…)

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Military Acoustic Thermal Insulation

Americans say “Zee” for the letter Z. Canadians say “Zed” instead. In both North American countries, their militaries say “Zulu” so that radio or telephone messages can be understood clearly. If you’re a defense contractor that makes military vehicles, it’s important to know you’ll receive exactly what you asked for. Elasto Proxy, a trusted member of the defense supply chain, can custom-fabricate thermal acoustic insulation that meets all of your requirements.

In this product overview, you’ll learn about two types of thermal acoustic insulation – each with part numbers that begin with Z. So whether you say Zee, Zed, or Zulu, you can count on Elasto Proxy’s U.S. and Canadian offices to support the mission every time. (more…)

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Armored Vehicle Gaskets

Armored vehicles play an essential role in projecting military power and protecting  service personnel. Metal plating and weapons systems are what most observers notice, but closer inspection reveals that rubber parts also help support the mission. In this technical article from Elasto Proxy, you’ll learn about the six types of custom-fabricated components that we supply for a military vehicle that’s been an important part of U.S. and Coalition operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. (more…)

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Military Vehicle Insulation

Military Vehicles

Thermal acoustic insulation is used in the floors, doors, side panels, and engine bays of military vehicles. Many different types of insulating materials are available, but you don’t need to be a material scientist to make the right choice. By choosing an experienced custom-fabricator who provides design assistance and help with material selection, you can strengthen your product designs as well as your supply chain. That’s why the North American defense industry asks Elasto Proxy for thermal acoustic solutions. (more…)

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Silicone Hatch Seals Resist Compression and Temperature

Silicone Hatch Seals | ST-375-23-SM
Silicone Sponge ST-375-23-SM

Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates silicone hatch seals for demanding applications. These specialty gaskets support superior sealing with good compression set and temperature resistance.

Gasket designers want rubber hatch seals that are as tough as the vehicles, equipment, and infrastructure that need them. If a hatch seal can’t withstand compression, it may over-compress and admit wind, water, dirt, or mud. If a hatch seal can’t withstand a wide range of temperatures and outdoor environmental conditions, seal failure can result, too. If you need hatch seals for military vehicles, mobile equipment, marine applications, or HVAC systems, there’s plenty to think about. Fortunately, help is available.

For every hatch seal design, compound selection is critical. As readers of this blog learned last March, choosing the right rubber won’t stop enemy fire, but choosing the wrong rubber can result in over-compressed hatch seals on military vehicles. That’s why although neoprene rubber offers an excellent balance of material properties, this elastomer wasn’t the best choice for the military gaskets that Elasto Proxy inspected. After examining the results of over-compression, we recommended silicone sponge rubber seals instead. Is this same elastomer right for your application, too? (more…)

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Military Vehicle Gasket Materials

Have you ever wondered why the military uses so many acronyms? It’s because soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines need to convey information quickly, accurately, and efficiently. That’s why 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 win new business, mastering these acronyms can be like learning a new language.

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. That’s just part of how Elasto Proxy can help. (more…)

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ZMT Insulation Resists Heat, Sound, Fire, and Chemicals

thermal acoustic insulationZMT insulation from Elasto Proxy is a thermal acoustic composite that also resists fire and chemicals. Applications include firewalls and engine bays.

Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates silicone composites that combine thermal and acoustical insulation with resistance to flame and fire, chemicals and oil, and electrostatic energy. These multi-layer materials consist of a silicone foam, neoprene skin, aluminum facing, and pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA). Applications for Elasto Proxy’s ZMT insulation include the firewalls and engine bays in mobile equipment and military vehicles. ZMT also meets flame-resistance requirements for the mass transit and aviation industries. (more…)

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Thermal Acoustic Insulation for Reducing Heat and Sound (Part 2)

thermal acoustic insulation

This is the second in a two-part series about thermal acoustic insulation from Elasto Proxy, a global supplier of specialty “insulation sandwiches” that reduce both heat and sound.

Elasto Proxy custom-fabricates thermal acoustic insulation for applications such as mobile equipment and military vehicles. These multi-layer composites meet your application requirements for a complete sealing and insulation solution. They also meet your business requirements for value-added products that are cost-effective, reliable, and easy-to-install on the assembly line or in the field.

In Part 1 of this series, we examined why diesel-powered vehicles and equipment need insulation with both thermal and acoustical properties. We also examined how heat and sound travel, and some of the insulating techniques that are used.  In Part 2 of this series, we’ll examine two thermal acoustic products (ZTBRA and Z3T) that illustrate Elasto Proxy’s capabilities. Specialized services such as edge sealing for washdown-capable engine bay insulation complement our lamination and water jet cutting skills. (more…)

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