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The Process of Creating Custom Gaskets
If you are designing a product with multiple parts, it is important to use custom gaskets as a barrier between any hard surfaces or metallic parts to protect them from rubbing against each other. Without which the environment would create high friction, causing damage to the parts coming together. A flat gasket made out of rubber, will be act as a protective barrier to the flexible and forgiving nature of rubber. With moving parts especially, it is necessary that the reciprocating action of the parts does not layer damage upon damage until the product is rendered ineffective.
When wondering how to make a gasket, it is important to take note of which materials best suit your particular product. Different rubbers have varying levels of resistance to extreme temperatures and heavy stress, as well as chemical or weathering resistance abilities. Using an elastomer gasket will allow your product to remain flexible so that any moving parts will undergo less wear and tear while the rubber retains its durability. Deciding upon the correct materials requires the acknowledgement of the product’s uses and restraints. The rubber used must be of the right thickness so that it is not cumbersome if too thick, or ineffective if too thin. Also the unique features of the rubber must fit the demands of the product. For example, a product designed to be outside with custom gaskets would want to use EPDM rubber because it offers superior protection against UV rays. It is also important to take into account if there are any special certifications like military specs for a certain type of rubber. Mil Specs arte not a limited list, and you can be sure that certifications of conformance are required when such products are on order.
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How to Make a Gasket
After the materials are decided upon, you must decide how to create the elastomer gasket. When deciding which rubber to use and what type of gasket cutters are most effective for your product design. Since a gasket is a function of the equipment or machinery it is used in, the design is completely contingent on the original parts. And questions about the fabrication of the gasket like which firm will cut it, and how it will be made are dependent on the design. A commonly forgotten matter is material tolerances when fabrication does take place. You must take into account the tolerance of the rubber sheets, which will be presented as a plus or minus of the variance of the product from the original specs. This goes for virtually any metric placed on the rubber sheet like: thickness, width, length, durometer, and more. The most used gasket cutters methods are listed below:
Hand cutting – This process is the most traditional, but time-consuming method. Hand cutting is reserved for less critical applications and prototyping. The tolerances of gaskets that are hand cut will be larger because it is a handmade process. It also usually includes skilled gasket cutters to ensure that these gaskets are competitive, performance-wise, with products created from machines.
Die cutting – In contrast with the hand cutting method, die cutting is a fast and effective way to make rubber gaskets. Unique to each particular product, a die cutting machine punches out the shape of each gasket according to the specs provided by the engineers of the product. With the ability to make custom gaskets, the die cutting method is a quick way to produce high volumes of specialized gaskets. However, this method cannot punch through thicker materials. Generally, gaskets are able to punch through sheet goods 3/8” or less.
Water jet cutting – With advances in technology, water jet cutting has created a solution for high volume orders and precision cuts for custom gaskets. Water jet cutting also eliminates any edge concavity that sometimes happens with die cutting due to the nature of the gasket being punched out of the sheet rubber. This is the most efficient and precise way of cutting out gaskets.
Molding a rubber part – Custom fit molds are best for unique jobs with the need for high volume production. Rubber molds can be created for any type of gasket according to your individual specs and needs.
Once you have decided upon how to make a gasket using unique materials and gasket cutting methods, your custom elastomer gasket is just one phone call or email away. Many companies offer gasket cutting abilities to best fit your product. However, for larger gaskets, many companies only allow up to 48”. Rubber-Cal does create gaskets from sheet material up to 72” to accommodate larger format gaskets. A flat gasket will help protect individual parts of your product, especially any moving parts by creating a compressible barrier or seal against two surfaces. A flexible and durable material, rubber gaskets will enhance the life and abilities of your product.
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