Standard Rubber Products

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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Thermal Acoustic Insulation for Reducing Heat and Sound (Part 1)

thermal acoustic insulation

This is the first 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.

Thermal acoustic insulation is used to reduce heat and sound in commercial, industrial, and military applications. In manufacturing and processing facilities, this multi-functional insulation is used with machine enclosures, pipes, and valves. On-road and off-road, composite structures that include both thermal and acoustic materials are also found in the floors, doors, side panels, and engine bays of mobile equipment and military vehicles.

Many different types of insulating materials are available, but you don’t need to have a PhD in material science to make the right choice. In this two-part series from Elasto Proxy, you’ll learn why you need thermal acoustic insulation, how thermal insulation and acoustic insulation work, and about two solutions from Elasto Proxy that may be right for your application. You’ll also learn how we manufacture these two products, and how we can custom-fabricate a specialty “insulation sandwich” to satisfy your application’s particular appetite. (more…)

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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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Thin EMI Gaskets

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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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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