A rubber gasket is a piece with a customized circular shape that can fit and fill any gap between two objects. Gaskets are the perfect way to seal spaces between two hard surfaces that can’t completely fuse together. Here is what you need to know about rubber gaskets.
What Is a Rubber Gasket?
Creating a watertight or airtight matching of two objects can be difficult. You may also need to frequently open and close two pieces to allow water or gases to pass through. A rubber gasket is a perfect seal that can cover the space between the two objects. This allows a person to easily remove the gasket and put it back for airtight sealing.
How Are Rubber Gaskets Made?
The main gasket manufacturing techniques include rubber molding, gasket punching, and gasket cutting. Rubber molding is the most common way to create rubber gaskets. The method involves placing raw rubber in the mold and then exposing the mold to high temperatures. This causes the mold to vulcanize and compress the rubber into the right shape.
Rubber molding can either take the form of injection molding or compression molding. Compression molding is a simple process where you place the rubber material into the mold cavity directly. After applying heat and pressure, the rubber will take the shape of the cavity. That means you need compression molds of different shapes and sizes to produce different types of rubber gaskets.
On the other hand, injection molding involves placing raw rubber material inside an injection barrel. The manufacturer will then use an auger screw to warm the rubber material. The next step is to use an injection press to inject the hot rubber into mold cavities. The rubber will then cool to form the desired gasket.
What Are the Difference Types of Rubber Gaskets?
Most other types of gasket materials have no variants at all. For example, most metallic gaskets are usually available in stainless steel format, while vermiculite is the main type of mineral gasket. In contrast, synthetic rubbers are elastomeric materials that can contain different types of hydrocarbon compounds.
Once you have the raw rubber, you can add many other types of engineered materials, such as antioxidants, fillers, and stabilizers. In fact, large manufacturers have patented various types of gasket materials that use special production processes.
What Are the Benefits of Rubber Gaskets?
Rubber gaskets have applications in several industries, including automotive, food, and plumbing. The popularity of rubber gaskets is due to the following reasons:
Chemical Resistance
Rubber gaskets can withstand high alkalinity or acidity, making them ideal as sealants in pipes that transfer different liquids. If you use a different material, the seal may fail and cause the pipeline to leak. However, rubber gaskets may not be ideal for pipelines that transfer petroleum fluids.
Strength
Rubber gaskets have excellent physical and tensile strength. The rubber gasket will withstand frequent and prolonged wear and tear, increasing the gasket’s usage and lifespan.
Variety of Color and Grade Choices
Reputable manufacturers can produce rubber gaskets of virtually any color. The availability of multiple colors makes rubber gaskets ideal for commercial and retail use. You can use the rubber as a safety indication or to improve the aesthetic appeal of your structure.
Rubber gaskets are also available in different grades of rubber sheets. For example, you can get hard and soft rubber to suit your specialized application. An experienced rubber manufacturer can also customize the rubber sheets to fit your requirements.
Looking for Rubber Products?
Rubber has unique physical characteristics that make it the ideal material for various applications, such as rubber gaskets. Accurate Products Inc. has been manufacturing rubber products for more than 65 years. Our products are ideal for the automotive, manufacturing, and agricultural industries. Contact us for competitive pricing and fast turnaround.