Grommets are an often under-appreciated mechanical component. While you can find grommets in a wide range of applications across nearly every engineering discipline, the average person is unlikely to spend much time thinking about them. Despite their relative obscurity, these simple rubber components can be essential to the reliability of many machines, vehicles, and systems.

If your project requires grommets to protect wiring, seal exposed surfaces against moisture, or protect a cut edge from rubbing, choosing the wrong grommet can have serious implications. Your grommets must hold up to their intended application while remaining durable over your product’s expected lifespan. This guide will discuss three factors to help you choose the correct grommets for your needs.

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Die cutting is a manufacturing technique used to make a wide range of rubber parts. From gaskets and seals to bumper pads and barriers, die-cut parts can be produced in a highly efficient and cost-effective manner.

During die cutting, a substrate can be shaped, scored, or perforated into designs that fit customer preferences. This process is particularly useful when producing parts made from rubber. Discover five benefits of purchasing die-cut parts for your business applications.

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Rubber hoses are essential components of most industrial operations. These components are frequently used to transfer liquids, gases, and chemicals from one point to another, connecting pumps, valves, and other such equipment in a fluid system.

Additionally, rubber hoses come in various types with different properties that make them suitable for certain applications. This blog explains rubber hoses, their uses, and their benefits. Read More about Understanding Rubber Hoses »

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.

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Vinyl caps, also known as vinyl end caps or plastic end caps, are small, flexible plastic caps used to protect and cover the ends of a wide range of products. You can use these caps on various surfaces, including pipes and tubes, furniture legs, and wires. They are available in multiple sizes and shapes and can be used indoors and outdoors.

Find out how vinyl caps are used and why they are so popular in industrial and commercial settings.

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Many different types of machinery depend on O-rings. Without them, your equipment may not work well and, in some cases, be unsafe. If you are an engineer, you will likely need to incorporate an O-ring in almost any mechanical design. Here is more information about O-rings, how they work, and what equipment needs them.

What Are O-Rings?

O-rings are essentially a specialized type of seal or gasket. They provide a seal between two parts to prevent air and fluid leaks. Like most gaskets, they fill in imperfections between the two parts. O-rings work very well with high-pressure applications and tend to be durable.

You can find O-rings made with a variety of materials and thicknesses. Rubber and soft plastics are some of the most commonly used materials, which means that most O-rings are soft and flexible. However, you can also find them made out of harder plastics.

There are two main different types of O-rings. The first is a static O-ring, which you would use between two parts that don’t move. For example, you would use a static O-ring to seal an oil or fluid drain plug. Static O-rings are widely used and very common.

A less common O-ring type is the dynamic O-ring. This O-ring needs to withstand movement and pressure changes, so they are made of more durable materials that are resistant to friction.

Where Are O-Rings Used?

Everything from industrial equipment to household appliances has O-rings. You might find O-rings in:

• Automotive applications such as your oil pan’s drain plugs or brake equipment
• Scuba gear as a seal to prevent air leaks
• Electronic products to keep dust out of components
• Industrial equipment to keep air and fluid contained and at the right pressure
• Medical equipment to keep out leaks in filters and connectors
• Aerospace applications as an important component for several different parts

How Do O-Rings Work?

O-rings are most commonly placed inside a machined groove on one of the two surfaces to be joined. The O-ring creates a typical seal when you put the parts together. The material is soft and pliable and molds itself into position. In most applications, this simple seal is sufficient.

However, O-rings work a bit differently at higher pressures. When you use an O-ring at higher pressure, the O-ring will distort and push itself onto the lower-pressure side of the groove. In some cases, this can cause a better seal.

Once the pressure resides, the seal goes back to its original shape. However, continuous high pressure can damage the seal, so be sure you choose the correct O-ring material.

What Are Signs of O-Ring Failure?

The main sign of O-ring failure is pressure loss or leaks. A good example is with a car’s oil pan drain plug seal. When the O-ring begins to fail, you will see drops of oil on your garage floor. You would see the same type of leak in other equipment under the same circumstances.

If you use the wrong size and type of O-ring, you will have a higher chance of problems. Not only do you need to know the diameter of the O-ring you need, but you also need to know the design, thickness, and type of material. If you choose an O-ring that is too thin or the wrong design, it will not last long and may be ineffective from the start.

Though they are small and seem insignificant, O-rings are important parts for many different pieces of equipment. And though O-rings are generally durable, they can wear out. Sometimes, you may need a new one after you repair a piece of equipment. If you need a new set of O-rings, contact Accurate Products Inc. We make several different O-ring sizes and thicknesses for a variety of needs. Check out our size charts and call us to see how we can be your supplier.

If you manufacture furniture with legs, such as chairs and tables, then the way you finish your products makes a difference. Extra touches here can make your products more attractive to buyers, especially if these touches solve potential future problems.

For example, add rubber tips or caps to your products’ legs during the manufacturing process. These tips fit over the bottom of the legs. They have a number of benefits that might appeal to prospective buyers and make your product lines stand out from the crowd.

How do rubber leg tips make your furniture more attractive to buyers?

1. Provide Long-Lasting Floor Protection

If you put chairs or tables on hard floors, either in a residential or commercial environment, then the legs can do some damage to the surface. For example, the constant motion of a chair moving as people use it can scratch wood floors.

These scratches might start off as cosmetic; however, they will go deeper over time as the chair moves repeatedly in the same places. Your flooring won’t look good for long. While people can put felt pads on leg bases to cover them, this is a temporary solution. Pads don’t typically stick on legs all that long.

If you add high-quality rubber leg tips when you make your products, then you build in surface protection. The tips help protect floor surfaces from repetitive scraping movements. They also fit snugly and permanently around the bottom of their legs. Your customers can be confident that your furniture won’t damage their floors.

2. Protect Furniture Legs

Furniture legs can sometimes get damaged. For example, kicks, knocks, and bumps can splinter or crack the ends of wooden legs. If the legs then get wet, say because they sit on a freshly cleaned floor, then moisture can get inside the wood and cause more damage.

This can be a particular problem in heavy-duty commercial or industrial environments. Here, furniture legs might have exposure to moisture or other damaging substances more often.

If your furniture legs all have rubber tips, then you give them extra protection. The tips create a barrier that prevents surface damage. They also keep the legs dry and safe from exposure to wet or harmful substances.

3. Reduce Furniture Noise

Some furniture legs can be an irritating source of noise. For example, if someone sits on a chair on a hard floor and then scrapes the chair back as they stand up, then the chair will make a grating sound. If you put a lot of chairs together, say in a classroom or hall, then this noise amplifies.

Rubber leg tips reduce this noise. Their rubber materials absorb vibrations. They also prevent legs from scraping loudly on floors by adding a softer and quieter surface material to both metals and woods.

4. Make Your Products More Stable

While you take care to create dimensionally even and stable products, your customers might run into problems when they start using them. For example, if someone puts chairs on an uneven floor, then the chairs won’t rest flat.

Or, if someone or something knocks against a work bench in a factory, then the bench might move. If someone uses power tools or harmful substances at the table, then they could have an accident.

Rubber leg tips make your products more stable. The tips help legs get a grip on uneven surfaces. They also help furniture stay stable. The rubber naturally grips the floor, making it harder for a piece of furniture to move.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of installing rubber tips on your product legs, then contact Accurate Products. We supply high-quality tips for various materials, designs, and color schemes.