Rubber Gaskets and Their Advantages
Rubber Gaskets may often be seen as underappreciated products but they may make so many tasks of daily life easy. Basically rubber gaskets are seals that fill and space two surfaces to prevent from any leakage. They are a very crucial part in manufacture of various household and machine appliances. Because of their versatile nature and usage in almost every industry one could think of, the rubber gasket suppliers are always in demand.
Industries or appliance where rubber gaskets are used
Automotive
Electronics and Instrumentation
Household and Kitchen
Medical Devices
Defense
Chemical
This is not an exhaustive list and gaskets are used in thousands of
industries and appliances.
Material is used to make rubber gaskets
As the name suggests, they are made out of rubber. However, rubber gasket suppliers may use either natural rubber or various forms of synthetic rubber for the manufacture of gaskets. While there are lots of varieties of synthetic rubber, below listed are some of the most commonly used ones in gasket manufacturing.
Natural Rubber
Natural rubber is collected in the form of Latex which is a milky substance tapped from barks of a rubber tree. The origins of this can be traced back to Para trees originating in South Africa. Natural rubber is known for its large stretch ratio and high elasticity. Latex is also extremely waterproof. Despite these excellent characteristics, the reason many rubber gasket suppliers use synthetic rubber is because of the higher costs, low resistance to petroleum based products, vulnerability to ozone attacks. As a result, they are not suitable for high voltage electrical equipment.
Neoprene
Neoprene is a polymer that has good resistance to ozone attacks and external damages. They also have a very ideal temperature range of -65 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit which makes them a good choice for rubber gasket manufacturers. Neoprene comes in three gasket forms which are used in varied products. The Homogenous Neoprene are used for manufacturing bumpers and pads. Sponge Neoprene are used in vehicular parts like insulators and shock absorbers
and Diaphragm Neoprene are used along with Cotton Duck.
Silicone
Another popular synthetic material used by rubber gasket suppliers, it is used in automobile and electric equipment. Silicon has high resistance to ozone attack and also suitable to work under extreme temperatures. For this reason this is highly sought after for automobiles. Due to his ability to withstand high pressure and harsher conditions and good insulation, it is also used in electrical appliances
Nitrile
Nitrile is one of the mostly used and highly popular rubber among the rubber gasket manufacturers. It may not be highly resistance to ozone attacks and weathering, but what makes it so in demand is its capacity of resistance to
tear, petroleum products and high temperature. As a result, it is used a lot in
automotive applications.
EPDM
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) is another synthetic rubber which is as popular as Nitrile. While it has all the characteristics of Nitrile, one thing it is excellent is against ozone and UV attacks along with its ability to work in harsher conditions. This makes it a favorite of rubber gasket manufacturers to be used in outdoor appliances.
While there are many other types of synthetic rubber, the above listed
are most commonly used in rubber gasket manufacturing.
Advantages of Rubber Gasket
Rubber gaskets are used extensively in sealing methods. Because of their ability to
work under high temperatures and pressure conditions, they make great sealing
objects.
Rubber gaskets are resistant to UV and ozone attacks which makes them survive for longer periods without any damage.
They have a strong color retaining character which makes it popular for PVC windows.
They are resistant harsher products like acids
Rubber gaskets can be widely used with petroleum products.
EPDM rubber can endure highly acidic products like Hydraulics.
Neoprene is suitable even for extremely low temperatures.
Rubber gaskets like Teflon and Silicon can handle highly extreme temperatures.
Conclusion
The highly flexible nature of rubber gaskets, it’s wide and countless uses in products and appliances across industries whether it is automobile, food processing, household or outdoor appliances, make rubber gaskets versatile products that make lot of things in our everyday lives very easy. The diversity of sizes and shapes they come in is also another great advantage. The variety of choices when it comes to the available forms of synthetic rubber and their applications also gives the rubber gasket suppliers a great of flexibility.