Standard Rubber Products

Closed Cell Sponge Rubber Gaskets

closed cell sponge rubber gaskets

Closed cell sponge rubber gaskets from Elasto Proxy don’t just meet your application requirements for sealing and insulation. They meet your business requirements for a value-added solution.   

Closed cell sponge rubber gaskets prevent the flow of liquids and gases to and from the environment. They contain nitrogen-filled cells and provide reliable sealing, cushioning, gap filling, and insulation. Most sponge or expanded rubber is lightweight, flexible, and compressible. Over-compression can cause gasket failure, however, so compound selection is critical.

As an experienced gasket fabricator, Elasto Proxy helps you choose the right rubber for your application. We then custom-fabricate gaskets that save you time and money. Many types of closed cell sponge rubber are available, and different compounds provide particular properties. These sheet materials and rubber extrusions also support water jet cutting, adhesive bonding or splicing, and taping for peel-and-stick gaskets. (more…)

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EMI Gaskets for Strong, Thin Electronic Designs

EMI GasketsElasto Proxy custom-fabricates EMI gaskets from nickel-graphite filled silicones that contain an inner layer of conductive fabric for added strength and thinner designs.

Some electronic designs need EMI gaskets that balance physical strength with support for thinner devices. Conductive elastomeric shielding gaskets are a proven technology, but some design engineers worry that shielding silicones are packed with so many particles that these elastomers are brittle and will tear easily. Other engineers believe that particle-filled shielding elastomers are too thick, and can’t support electronic products with thinner profiles. These concerns are important ones, but Elasto Proxy can address them by fabricating EMI gaskets from nickel-graphite shielding silicones that are reinforced with conductive fabric. (more…)

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QPL Connector Gaskets for Military Electronics

QPL Connector GasketsQPL connector gaskets meet demanding DoD standards. This is the second in a series of technical articles about why defense contractors choose EMI gaskets from Elasto Proxy.

Some military contracts require QPL connector gaskets made from Qualified Product List (QPL) materials. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) manages the QPL program, which is designed to ensure performance, quality, and reliability in mission-critical military electronics. Achieving a QPL listing is a demanding process, and not all material suppliers can meet DoD requirements.

For design engineers and technical buyers, sourcing QPL materials is only part of the challenge. In addition to compound selection, it’s important to evaluate a potential partner’s manufacturing capabilities. EMI gaskets that are made of particle-filled silicones support various fabrication methods, but designers and buyers need to pick a gasket fabricator with the right balance of experience and expertise. (more…)

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Plastic Parts for Hospital Beds Cut Costs, Promote Safety, Ensure Compliance

Plastic Parts for Hospital BedsIn this case study, you’ll learn how Elasto Proxy helped a manufacturer of hospital beds to reduce costs, promote patient safety, and meet regulatory requirements. By applying the power of our supply chain strength, Elasto Proxy provides plastic parts that replace metal ones.

Hospitals need to deliver high-quality healthcare while containing medical costs and meeting regulatory demands. For manufacturers of medical equipment, earning the trust of hospital administrators means meeting all of these requirements. This is especially true for hospital bed manufacturers, whose highly-engineered products are used by patients throughout their hospital stays.

Today’s hospital beds contain precise parts made of various materials. Metal parts are more expensive than plastic ones, and may be subject to corrosion. Metal components are also heavier, which increases product weight and shipping costs. Many hospital bed manufacturers would like to replace metal parts with plastic ones, but only if the new parts meet existing requirements for cost, quality, and compliance. (more…)

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Commercial Oven Seals

High Temperature SealsIn this case study, you’ll learn how Elasto Proxy helped a commercial oven manufacturer solve a sealing and insulation challenge. By applying our technical design, compound selection, and custom fabrication expertise, we provide high temperature seals for bakery and pizza ovens. How can we help you?

Commercial ovens don’t just need to achieve and maintain the proper cooking temperature. In busy environments such as sandwich shops, bakeries, pizzerias, and convenience stores, a commercial oven’s cooking speed and ease-of-use are also important. Oven door seals aren’t as bright and shiny as a brand-new stainless steel oven, but these rubber parts can shine brightly in their own way.

When a popular restaurant chain began toasting its sandwiches, a commercial oven manufacturer faced a challenge with high temperature seals for oven doors. The manufacturer’s oven contained a moveable tray that held sandwiches during cooking, but that caught on the door seal whenever a sandwich was removed. Eventually, the overlap between the rubber seal and the metal tray caused the oven seal to loosen. (more…)

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Military Vehicle Thermal Acoustic Insulation

 thermal acoustic insulationIn this case study, you’ll learn how Elasto Proxy applied its expertise in technical design, compound selection, and custom fabrication to replace the thermal acoustic insulation in the engine bays of military vehicles. How can we help you solve your sealing and insulation challenges? Contact us.

When a manufacturer of military vehicles isn’t satisfied with a product design, more than just the bottom line is at stake. For coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, armored fighting vehicles provide mission-critical force protection. Most military observers focus on features like the steel plating and the guns, but this type of vehicle won’t deploy anywhere without a big diesel engine under the hood.

In military vehicles such as armored personnel carriers, diesel engines run hot and loud. Without engine bay insulation, this heat and noise could put both the powerplant and military personnel at risk. Thermal acoustic insulation must also meet flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) standards. In addition, engine bay insulation must withstand vehicle wash-downs and exposure to detergents and other cleaning chemicals. (more…)

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Dual Durometer Rubber for Reliable Attachment and Stronger Sealing

Dual Durometer RubberElasto Proxy Designs and Custom-Fabricates Dual Durometer Extrusions for Rubber Parts

Dual durometer extrusions are industrial rubber parts with different areas of hardness. Typically, the harder rubber compound is used for attachment while the softer rubber is used for sealing.  Sometimes, different rubbers are used because of design considerations such product color schemes or the use of pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs).

By fabricating dual durometer rubber into a single part, a product such as window seal can have areas with different physical properties to meet application requirements. With window channels, the harder window rubber attaches to the window frame and the softer window rubber faces the glass window. Durometer is not limited to window seals, however, and is used with both sponge and solid profiles. (more…)

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Trim Seal Compound Selection and Technical Design

Click to Watch the Bulb Trim Seals Video
Click to Watch the Bulb Trim Seals Video

Trim seals from Elasto Proxy are used for sealing and insulation, typically on doors and hatches. Learn about compound selection and technical design for these industrial rubber products. Contact us with questions.

Bulb trim seals are sealing and insulation products with bulb and retainer sections. The bulb portion is often rounded or teardrop-shaped, but may resemble a half-moon or have a flat bottom. The retainer portion of the seal has a U-shape with an open end and two “legs”. The bulb provides sealing and insulation under compressive force, and the retainer or trim section presses onto the flange or substrate.

Each section of the seal (bulb and trim) are made of different materials. In turn, each material has a different durometer or hardness to support compression. For technical buyers and product designers, it’s important to choose the right materials and account for design factors such as bulb size, gap or edge thickness, and minimum bend radius. The following sections explain. (more…)

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Acoustic Foams for Noise Control in Vehicles and Equipment

Video - Acoustic Foam for Noise Control
Video – Acoustic Foam for Noise Control

Acoustical foams absorb and dampen sounds. Some of these foam rubber materials also provide flame resistance. Product designers need more than just an acoustic foam, however. They need a custom fabricator who can convert stock materials into a custom insulation solution.

Acoustic foams are used for sound absorption and sound dampening in applications such as military vehicles, commercial trucking, and equipment enclosures. They’re usually made of silicone, urethane, or foam-based melamine. Some acoustical foams offer additional properties, such as thermal resistance or fire resistance. For specialized applications, acoustical foams can be added as layers within “insulation sandwiches” that also contain fillers, adhesives, and barrier materials. (more…)

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