Due to supply chain issues, Santa was having a hard time finding rubber parts for his sleigh. Luckily, he found Elasto Proxy.
Santa was so impressed with the custom rubber seal that Elasto Proxy made that he also sourced five more rubber parts from us. Everyone has a wish list at Christmas time, even Santa! Here’s what he ordered and the elves installed.
Edge Trim (ES28-110-P60)
Edge trim is used to protect and finish exposed metal edges. On Santa’s sleigh, there’s a trim seal on a special rear truss that provides some heavy-duty support. Elasto Proxy’s black, 60-durometer PVC rubber product is weather-resistant and contains a metal reinforcement for impact resistance. ES28-110-P60 also features interior tongues that help to attach the seal to the edge and hold it in place without the use of fasteners. Santa liked that this rugged rubber part is a favorite of the heavy equipment industry.
Grip Tape (SH-032-GT)
On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus enters and exits his sleigh countless times. At the request of Mrs. Claus, the chief safety officer at the North Pole, the elves installed an anti-slip grip tape to provide secure footing. This Elasto Proxy part, SH-032-GT, has a textured, high-friction surface and is made of vinyl, a durable rubber that can withstand outdoor environmental conditions. When Santa reviewed the grip tape’s other applications, he liked that it’s used to provide an anti-slip surface aboard service trucks.
EMI Gasket (Top Secret)
Part of what makes Santa’s sleigh super-cool is its use of electronics. For example, there’s a navigational display with information obtained from a network of global positioning satellites (GPS). With all of these electronics onboard, however, crosstalk can cause electromagnetic interference (EMI). That’s why a top-secret onboard display now contains an EMI gasket made from particle-filled silicones. The gasket’s part number is also top-secret, but we can tell you that the rubber conforms to military specifications.
Floor Mat (FMD-500-60-ZM)
The interior of Santa’s sleigh needed a floor mat with a durable, wear-resistant, and slip-resistant diamond plate design. FMD-500-60-ZM from Elasto Proxy also contains a single layer of acoustic foam that’s bonded to a sound barrier. Although there isn’t a diesel engine in Santa’s new ride, there’s still some noise that makes it hard for Santa to listen to his favorite Christmas songs. This might surprise you, but even Father Christmas likes to be able to hear “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” without road noise.
Rubber Bumpers (MB-290-C80)
Finally, Santa needed a couple of bumpers for the sleigh’s back end. These rounded parts, MB-290-C80, feature rubber-to-metal bonding and are easy to install with standard fasteners such as screws, bolts, and washers. Santa is a safe driver, of course, but it’s better for the elves to install affordable truck bumpers that to make expensive body repairs. Backing up the sleigh in tight spaces is never easy, and rooftops in the Northern Hemisphere can get especially slippery at this time of year.
Happy Holidays!
From all of us at Elasto Proxy, we wish you the happiest of holidays and a peaceful, prosperous, and healthy New Year! Please note that we will close for the holidays at the end of the workday on December 22, 2022, and then reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Merry Christmas!
