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Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are versatile plastics that are perfect for sealing, coextrusions, and other solutions.
TPE Plastic: A Soft, Flexible Material for Tubing, Gaskets, and More
While TPE has the properties and performance of rubber, it’s actually processed like plastic and recyclable. Because of its elastomeric component, TPE compounds are soft and flexible materials that can be repeatedly stretched to at least twice their original length at room temperature and return to the approximate length of the original shape upon stress release.
TPE materials have a soft touch that is appealing and beneficial for many markets and consumer goods. Soft TPE can be easily molded or extruded onto hard thermoplastic materials, making it great for soft touch grips on products. TPEs are also perfect for sealing rings and bottle cap liners. Other types of TPE can be used for automotive parts, wire and cable insulation, HVACs, and home appliances.
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PVC rubber is a strong, lightweight, and durable material that’s ideal for a variety of applications.
PVC: A Material for Strong, Lightweight Rubber Parts
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is a thermoplastic material that can be melted repeatedly at certain temperatures and will harden upon cooling. This process makes PVC strong, lightweight, and durable. These qualities make PVC an ideal material for a variety of applications.
PVC comes in two basic forms: rigid PVC (also known as uPVC or RPVC) and flexible (soft) PVC. Both rigid and flexible PVC are cost-effective solutions that can be combined with a broad range of additives to enhance performance versatility. Thanks to a wide hardness range, good resistances, and other PVC properties, this material is an appealing option for everything from rigid PVC pipe to clear PVC tubing used in automotive and medical applications.
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Whether you call it foam rubber or sponge rubber, it's important to get the perfect parts for your applications.
Custom Foam & Sponge Rubber Solutions for Your Business
While the terms foam and sponge are used interchangeably, they aren’t quite the same material. Both foam and sponge have cellular structures, but each option has various features that may make one a better choice for your needs.
A major difference between the two is the open and closed structures of the two materials. Flexible foam rubber (also known as cellular or expanded rubber) has an open cell structure and can be produced in low and high densities, making it ideal for seals and insulation for cabinet and commercial applications. Sponge rubber has a much more closed cell structure that provides strong compression set resistance and compression recovery, along with the ability to block liquids and gases.
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Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR), or synthetic rubber, is a non-oil resistant, low-cost material that can be used in the production of several rubber products. It has properties similar to natural rubber, but with greater wear, water and abrasion resistance.
Natural rubber vs synthetic rubber
Compared to natural rubber, the advantages of synthetic rubber include its excellent abrasion resistance and ability to adhere to metals, making it a great option for rubber gaskets, seals and other products. Synthetic rubber also excels in extreme temperatures due to good heat resistance and heat-aging qualities. However, it is not recommended to use synthetic rubber in applications that involve ozone, strong acids, oils, greases, fats and most hydrocarbons.
What is synthetic rubber used for?
When you need a low-cost alternative to natural rubber, opt for synthetic. The synthetic material can be used in the production of several rubber applications, including:
Extruded rubber products
Rubber seals and tubing
Rubber gaskets
Molded rubber products
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When shock absorption and durability is a major concern, butyl rubber is a great material for your parts.
Butyl Rubber: Shock Absorption, Gas Impermeability, and More
Butyl rubber offers some special capabilities to make it a potential option for applications that need quality sealing, lining, mounting, or more. This material is both incredibly durable and flexible, making it a natural solution for anyone in need of rubber parts that can endure regular agitation while maintaining seals, support, and other key tasks.
In addition to tremendous shock absorption, butyl features exceptionally low gas and moisture permeability and outstanding resistance to heat, aging, weather, ozone, chemical attack, flexing, abrasion, and tearing. It is resistant to phosphate ester based hydraulic fluids, is puncture resistant, and has excellent electrical insulation performance.
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Nitrile rubber – also called nitrile-butadiene rubber NBR rubber, and Buna-N – is a synthetic rubber that provides excellent resistance to petroleum-based oils as well as mineral and vegetable oil.
Nitrile Rubber: A Material Made for Oil Resistance
Unlike natural rubber and other materials, nitrile gaskets and other parts are more resistant to heat aging. This feature is a key advantage, as it allows nitrile to not harden and lose its damping capability as quickly as natural rubber and other solutions. Nitrile rubber is also a great material choice for applications that require abrasion resistance and metal adhesion.
Due to its versatility and strong resistances, nitrile material is used in applications involving not only oil, fuel, and chemical resistance, but also those that require resistance to heat, abrasion, water, and gas permeability. From oil rigs to bowling alleys, nitrile rubber can be the right material for your application.
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When you need a tough material, natural rubber is an abrasion-resistant solution that’s great for areas where other materials would wear out.
Natural Rubber: A Tough Material for Physically Demanding Applications
Some applications demand the most out of their individual parts. Natural rubber is a versatile material used in engineering for many years for a very simple reason – it can take a beating and still perform crucial functions.
Natural rubber combines high tensile and tear strength with an outstanding resistance to fatigue. These heavy-duty capabilities make this material an ideal polymer for dynamic or static engineering applications that deal with regular vibration, noise, contact, and other issues. These qualities make natural rubber an ideal solution for tires, printer rollers, agitators, and other parts that will come into regular contact with abrasive surfaces or other damaging elements.
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If fuel or oil is present in your application, Viton may be the right rubber material for your business
Viton: A Rubber Compound for Fuel and Oil Applications
Viton rubber, a specific fluoroelastomer polymer (FKM), was introduced into the aerospace industry in 1957 to fulfill its needs for a high-performance elastomer. Following its introduction, the usage of this material spread quickly to other industries. These days, Viton seals, o-rings, and others rubber parts are now used regularly in the automotive, appliance, chemical, and fluid power industries thanks to its natural resistance to both fuel and oil.
In addition to fuel and oil resistance, Viton rubber gaskets and other parts has a strong reputation as a high-performance elastomer that can operate in very hot and extremely corrosive environments. These capabilities make Viton a natural choice for parts that need to succeed in demanding environments.
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From foam to solid sheets, neoprene rubber is a multipurpose elastomer that fits a wide variety of products thanks to benefits like oil and ozone resistance.
What is Neoprene Rubber: A Solution for Oil and Ozone Resistance
Neoprene Rubber, also known as polychloroprene or PC Rubber, is an extremely versatile synthetic rubber offering oil, petroleum, and weathering resistance. These characteristics make neoprene a natural fit for the automotive world, where neoprene rubber applications are used for many exposed parts that can encounter oil or petroleum.
Neoprene’s resistances to both oil and weathering also make it a good fit for several other industries that require a reasonably priced, mid-performance polymer with a good all-around balance of performance properties. In addition to oil and weathering resistance, neoprene’s high tensile strength and low compression set make it a very attractive synthetic rubber for outdoor applications such as custom gaskets and seals. Thanks to these factors, a variety of markets can benefit from neoprene, including the mass transit, wire and cable, food preparation, and construction industries.
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If you need a rubber product that can withstand difficult environments, silicone rubber can be an excellent choice for your applications.
What is Silicone Rubber: A Material Made for Difficult Environments
Silicone is one of the materials of choice for any application that deals with environmental factors that can break down other solutions. When it comes to extreme temperature, silicone rubber offers a great range of resistance in both hot and cold environments. In addition, silicone provides far superior tensile strength, elongation, tear strength, and compression sets in extreme temperatures than conventional rubbers.
In addition to temperature resistance, other advantages of silicone rubber include insulation from electricity, compression set resistance, and the ability to repel water. These advantages make silicone rubber a versatile material that can help businesses invest in rubber products that not only withstand difficult conditions, but also perform as necessary for a long time.
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EPDM rubber is a high-density synthetic rubber used for outdoor applications and other spaces in need of tough, versatile parts.
What is EPDM: A Versatile, Cost-Effective Rubber Part Solution
When you need a rubber material that offers excellent resistances to weather, heat, and other factors without breaking the bank, EPDM grommets, gaskets, tubing, and other parts may be the answer you need.
EPDM – also known as ethylene propylene diene monomer – is an extremely versatile material used in a variety of applications, from automotive products to HVAC parts. This type of rubber also acts as a less expensive alternative to silicone, as it can endure weather conditions, abrasion, and other challenges for long periods of time with proper use. As such, EPDM can save you time and money on a wide range of applications.
