Rubber Molding Process

Rubber molding is a molding process that produces a usable rubber product. Rubber products are made from uncured rubber or elastomers. An elastomer is any material with sufficient resilience or memory for returning to its original shape in response to pressure or distortions. Rubber and elastomers can be derived from natural sources, although they are mostly synthetic, produced through highly controlled chemical processes. Rubber is an excellent material for situations that require a material to expand and return to its original shape.

Rubber molding creates molded rubber parts by pressing a block of rubber into a rubber molding metal cavity. The rubber is then exposed to heat, activating a chemical reaction. While there are variations in specific methods, all rubber manufacturers use heat and pressure method to form molded rubber products. The three most common methods in the rubber molding process are rubber injection molding, compression molding, and transfer molding.