The Four Most Important Factors When Choosing Materials for Your Custom Rubber Gaskets
Custom rubber gaskets can help you solve a wide range of application problems, particularly when you’re designing systems where standard sizes and configurations are not the best solutions. A quality custom gasket manufacturer will have a variety of compounds from which to choose, combined with a custom size to suit your particular engineering need.
However, they’ll need some crucial information from you to understand your application. Beyond the basics of the size and shape of the gaskets, they’ll need some more specific data on how the gaskets will be used.
The Four Critical Factors When Choosing Custom Rubber Gasket Material
1. Temperature
It is important to know the expected temperature range to which the gaskets will be subjected. Some elastomers function better in lower temperatures; some in higher temperatures.
2. Pressure
Pressure is another major consideration when ordering custom rubber gaskets. Your gasket manufacturer will need to know both the minimum and maximum expected pressures the gasket will face. Some materials are available in a variety of hardnesses to cover different pressures. Tailoring the combination of material and its hardness will help make an effective seal for the system pressure.
3. Atmosphere
Will the gaskets be called upon to operate in an unusual environment, or be exposed to an atmosphere besides standard air? Also, will the gasket be exposed to sunlight as part of its normal use? These are all factors which affect the material used in your custom rubber gaskets. For example, EPDM has excellent resistance to direct sunlight, while nitrile can break down quickly.
4. Physical Medium
Finally, what will the gasket be physically coming into contact with? Some materials, such as SBR and EPDM are not petroleum fluid resistant, while Nitrile and Neoprene are. Other materials, such as Viton® are resistant to acids that would degrade EPDM, Silicone, and Nitrile.
Expert Gasket & Seal
At this point, you should hopefully see just how complicated the selection of gasket materials can be – and that’s why you want an expert custom gasket manufacturer as a partner! Expert Gasket & Seal has decades of experience crafting custom rubber gaskets from a huge variety of materials and can ensure your gaskets match your application.