Custom Molded Rubber Products – Uses and Advantages

Rubber is found in almost all around us and a part of most of the stuff we use in our day to day life. You can find rubber products in cell phones, cars, microwave ovens and most other items that we use daily. It is a widely used material because of its strength and stress-withstanding properties. Talking about industrial use, you can find custom molded rubber products in the construction industry, food & beverages industry, automobile industry and many more. Even hospitals use rubber products extensively.

Most industries require custom molded rubber products in order to meet their specific requirements based on the machinery they use and the processes followed. These custom molded rubber products are extremely important for several businesses and without the work would come to a halt. Some of the common molded rubber products include the following:

•Gaskets and seals
•O Rings
•Timing belt
•Vibration mounts
•Conveyor belts

All of these find use in different industrial applications. Conveyor belts are in particular very helpful in taking materials from one point to another without involving manual labor. It saves both time and effort making it cost-effective.

Custom molded rubber products find their use in different applications in day to day life and industries. There are different products that are used for industrial purposes to make tasks easier.

Hoses – Which material are they made up of?

Hoses are not boring anymore. You actually have choice while choosing your garden hose. There are flat ones, curly ones and come in several different designs. The material of your hose matters the most so let’s take a look at them.

Hoses are made from Vinyl, rubber or polyurethane. Out of these, the ones made of rubber are the most long-lasting but you have to keep them in shade to prevent sunlight from spoiling the material. The best way out is to use a hose made of rubber treated with UV resistant material. You also have fabric reinforced hoses and the ones reinforced with PVC for better functionality. There is also the option of using hoses made of recycled rubber as it is an environment-friendly choice. It is worth noting that fabric reinforced hoses are mostly used in industries, factories, agriculture and mining to send water, air, or oil.

To serve industrial purposes, there is a need to look for a reliable and well-experienced manufacturer of hoses. Lusida Rubber is one such rubber products manufacturing company that manufactures several industrial products made by using Sponge Rubber Molding and Rubber to Metal Bonding.

Hoses are made from Vinyl, rubber or polyurethane. The rubber ones last the longest. For industrial purpose fabric reinforced hoses are widely used.

Timing Belt and its Application in automobiles

There are some rubber products that you can’t live without. One of them is the timing belt. The timing belt was introduced in the 1960s. It is made of rubber and has hard teeth. It is present in the internal combustion engine of vehicles and it is an important part for an engine to run. Its function is to synchronize the rotation of the crankshaft and camshaft to enable the pistons and valves of vehicles operate properly. This will help in making the vehicle run smoothly.

Replacing the belt on time is another point you must focus on. After your car or any other automobile runs 60,000-100,000 miles, you should consider getting it replaced. Like custom molded rubber products like gaskets and seals (AS 568 O Rings), a timing belt is also a made from rubber. That is why it will get worn down with time. Upon breaking the engine will not run and your work will come to a standstill. It can result in damage to the different parts of the engine. Not changing the belt on time can cost you a hefty amount later. You may even have to get your vehicle’s engine replaced.

There are several companies that not only manufacture good quality timing belts, but also oil seal, vibration mounts and conveyor belts. One among them is Lusida rubber products.

The timing belt is a rubber product which is an integral part of the internal combustion engine of vehicles. It helps the engine run and you have to get it replaced periodically.

What is sponge rubber and what are its uses?

Rubbers are of different types and are used in various applications. One such rubber type is sponge rubber. It has a structure that is a mixture of both open and closed cell structure. Sponge rubber is resilient and possesses high compression elasticity. You can find it in natural as well as synthetic forms like EPDM, Buna, silicon and chloroprene. A lot of products are made using sponge rubber molding.

Here are some of the characteristics of sponge rubber,

1.It has amazing sealing properties.

2.It possesses high compressibility.

3.It offers great insulation.

4.It provides flexible processing options. 

5.It offers a high abrasion resistance.

Sponge rubber is used in the many applications in the medical and pharmaceutical field. Here is a list of them,

•Prosthetic devices

•Medical sponges

•Electrocardiogram pads

•Sterilization bags

•Filters for medical purposes

•Tablet making machines 

Apart from the above, sponge rubber is used in bulb seals for hatches, doors and enclosures.

Companies that indulge in sponge rubber molding also manufacture fabric reinforced hoses and products made using rubber to metal bonding with the help of elements of a rubber-metal bond.

Sponge rubber has different characteristics that make it an ideal material for different medical and pharmaceutical applications. It is also used to make seals for doors and hatches. 

Common Techniques for Manufacturing Custom Molded Rubber Products

Rubber products are widely used for various applications all over the world. The use of custom molded rubber products is common in the railways, oil and gas industry, automobile industry and many more. They can be Gaskets and Seals, Vibration Mounts, Conveyor Belts and oild seals.  You can find rubber products even in hospitals, canning factories and breweries. In fact, they are a part of our daily life. When they are so important, you should know how they are manufactured.

Here are the common techniques for manufacturing custom molded rubber products are:

1.Compression molding – In this process, uncured rubber is placed in a mold and compressed with pressure and heat to get the final finished rubber component. It gets ejected from the mold and can be used.

2.Injection molding – Here preheated rubber is injected into a mold with the use of pressure to make sure that the rubber gets into every cavity inside the mold. After curing, the product gets separated from the mold and ready to be used.

3.Extrusion – This method is used to make rubber pipes, hoses and tubular products. Here the extruded rubber product is pushed through a die. 

A few other important rubber products that are manufactured using one of the above methods are AS 568 O RingsTiming Belt and oil seals

Rubber products are used in several different applications. They are manufactured using compression molding, injection molding and extrusion. 

Rubber sheets and their application

There is no denying the fact that some rubber products are used more than others. One among them is the rubber sheet. There is a huge variety of rubber sheets having different designs and specifications. The range is so wide because of the huge number of applications they are used for. 

There are different types of rubber sheets that include the following:

1.Natural rubber sheets

2.EPDM rubber sheets

3.Neoprene rubber sheets

4.Nitrile rubber sheets

5.Silicone rubber bands

6.Fabric reinforced rubber sheets

Rubber sheets are mainly used for flooring and roofing as they are resistant to oil, petrol, UV lights and much more. Rubber sheets stay flexible even in the cold climate. Being elastic, they work well as shock absorbers and are used in vibration mounts to minimize vibration in machinery.

Rubber sheets are used widely in industrial buildings and agricultural machinery. They are used in medicine, engineering, automotive, defense, aeronautics, marine and railway sectors.  You can also find rubber sheets in gyms, dance studios, garages, washer and dryer pans, drainage systems, orthopedic footwear and much more. Rubber sheets also work well when used in washrooms to reduce the risk of slipping.

The truth is that with the passage of time the demand of rubber sheets and other products like conveyor belts are only going to increase. 

There are different types of rubber sheets that are used in various industrial sectors along with being a part of everyday life. 

What does AS 568 mean?

 It is important for molded rubber products to have certain standards. O-rings are no exceptions and there is something called an Aerospace Size Standard for O-Rings AS 568. It is a US standard for O-rings that came into being by the Society of Automative Engineers (SAE). As per this system, a dash “-“ is used to refer to O-ring sizes that are standardized. 

The main benefit of having standardized system is that the engineers can make use of the standard O-ring sizes to build prototypes and test their designs. They would know the size of standard O-rings and they would not have to measure it every time. This brings a sense of uniformity. The Aerospace Standard mentions the cross-sections, inside diameters tolerances and size identification codes for O-rings that are put to use in sealing applications. Talking about the uses of custom molded rubber products like O-rings, they are used in the manufacturing world extensively.  The biggest use of o-rings is that as an oil seal.

 You must note that you can get standard O-ring sizes in different materials. The most common materials used to make o-rings are Nitrile, Neoprene, Butyl, Silicone, Fluorosilicone, Fluorocarbon, and EPDM. 

AS 568 is Aerospace Size Standard for O-Rings to help engineers build prototypes and test designs. O-rings are used widely in the manufacturing world.

HOW IS A SEAL DIFFERENT FROM A GASKET?

Industries require a lot of products to meet their requirements. There is a huge list of tiny products without which things would come to standstill. A few of them are molded products.

When you talk about molded rubber products, gaskets and seals would come to the mind. They may seem to be similar but the truth is that they are little different from each other. The main difference between gaskets and seals is that while you use a gasket to seal components that have a flat surface while seals are meant for surfaces that rotate like engine parts, shafts and pumps. Gaskets are for components that are static whereas seals are for parts that rotate.

Also, seals are round and flat whereas gaskets come in different shapes.

Gaskets are used in transportation, electricity generation, oil and gas and paper and pulp industry. 

Though gaskets and seals may look like ordinary products, they are very important. Just imagine how your vehicles would run when there are no seals for the engine to function. The whole automobile industry would come to a standstill without seals. This indicates that no matter how insignificant a product looks; at times you can’t do without it.

There are other molded rubber products as well and they are timing belt and O Rings. 

A gasket is meant to seal static components whereas a seal is ideal for surfaces that rotate such as engine parts. 

Different Types of Conveyor Belts

 Rubber products have an important role to play in everyday life. Some of the important ones are oil seals, vibration mounts, conveyor belts, AS 568 standard O rings and rubber sheets. 

Talking about conveyor belts, you must have come across a conveyor belt while waiting at the luggage area at airports. 

There are mainly 3 types of conveyor belts namely, 

•Basic belt

•Snake sandwich belt

•Long belt

A basic conveyor belt comprises of 2+ pulleys and it can be used manually or with a motor. The items placed on the belt move forward with the forward movement of the belt. They are also used in packaging and parcel delivery utilities as they make movement of goods from one place to another quite easy and effortless.

A snake sandwich conveyor has 2 separate parallel belts and is used to move goods up an inclined surface. This type of a conveyor as created in 1979 and is used widely till date.

A long belt conveyor has 3 drive units and is mostly used for sending goods over a long distance. The main use of this kind of belt is in the mining industry and construction industry.

 All the types of conveyor belts have their own usage and make it easy for people to move goods from one place to another. 

Conveyor belts are used to move goods from one point to another. There are mainly 3 types of conveyor belts – the basic belt, snake sandwich belt, long belt.

How are Custom Molded Rubber Products Made?

There are so many industrial products that help us in our day to day life that we are not able count them. The ones that belong to that category arecustom molded rubber products

The most commonly used custom molded rubber products are gaskets and seals, O rings and timing belt. In fact, a lot of things wouldn’t be possible without these products. 

To manufacture custom molded rubber products, there are 3 commonly used techniques and they are the following:

1) Compression molding – For this technique, uncured rubber is used. It is placed in a mold and compressed with the help of heat and pressure. The result is a finished rubber product that is ejected from the mold.

2) Injection molding – This process has been in use since 1960. In this process, pre-heated rubber is injected into a readymade mold with the help of pressure. After the curing is done, the rubber leaves the mold and is ready for use. 

3) Extrusion – Extruded rubber products are put through a die that gives them a tube-like shape. This process is used for rubber pipes and hoses.

The applications of custom molded rubber products are really wide but it is important that they are manufactured properly. 

Custom molded rubber products are manufactured using 3 commonly used techniques that are compression molding, injection molding, and extrusion. The products have a wide number of applications.