Rubber molded products are used in many industries due to their durability and versatility. Clark Rubber and Plastic is a custom rubber molding manufacturer that uses certified rubber materials to create high-quality products. Here are some of the ways rubber-molded parts are used:

Automotive Industry

Rubber molding is used in the automotive industry to produce seals, gaskets, bushings, O-rings, and tires. Manufacturers use compression molding to produce these automotive components. During the production process, technicians place the pre-measured raw rubber material into a mold cavity. They then apply heat and pressure to compress and cure the material.

Manufacturers also use compression molding to produce engine mounts, rubber bumpers, grommets, and brake pads. Compression molding is a cost-effective method for producing high-quality, custom-designed automotive components in large quantities. This process can also be used to create cable and vibration insulators for vehicles.

Aerospace Industry

In the aerospace industry, custom rubber components boost aircraft and spacecraft’s safety, performance, and durability. At Clark Rubber and Plastic, we use rubber-molded parts to create thermal insulation materials used in spacecraft. These insulating components help protect against extreme temperature variations in outer space, maintaining a stable internal environment for equipment and crew.

Technicians employ compression and injection molding techniques to manufacture quality bellows and flexible connectors used in aircraft’s air and fluid transport systems. Compression molding also creates electrical insulation components like insulating boots and covers. These components help protect connectors and cables from moisture, dust, and electrical interference. We use high-grade rubber, such as Viton or silicone, to withstand extreme temperatures and aggressive fluids. 

Consumer Industry

Rubber molding produces different consumer goods, such as footwear soles and gardening products. The process entails using different rubber materials like natural rubber, silicone, styrene-butadiene rubber, and neoprene. These materials are used with injection molding and compression molding to create rubber grips for tools, kitchen utensils, cookware, and sporting goods.

Molding techniques allow manufacturing technicians to create intricate shapes accurately and consistently. The processes produce durable rubber components like phone cases and electronic gadgets that resist abrasion, impact, and other forms of mechanical stress.

Solar Industry

In the solar industry, rubber-molded products produce various components and seals that boost the efficiency, durability, and safety of solar panels. Manufacturers utilize injection molding to create weatherproofing boots for solar panel connectors. The process is also effective for manufacturing cable management solutions, such as cable clips and holders.

Injection and compression molding techniques help create durable and weather-resistant parts for solar tracking systems. We use compression and transfer molding to create long-lasting cable entry seals for solar panels and inverters. During transfer molding, our experts preheat a rubber compound in a chamber and then transfer it into a mold cavity, where it is compressed and cured.

Choose Quality Rubber Molding Services

At Clark Rubber and Plastic, we manufacture parts using different rubber molding techniques, including injection, compression, and transfer molding. We use durometer gauges for quality control and material testing to meet the standards of consumer, aerospace, solar, and automotive industries. Contact us today for more information about our custom rubber molding services.

When your company needs custom rubber molding done for its projects, one of the questions you need to answer is whether you need natural or synthetic rubber. Natural rubber and its synthetic alternatives have different properties that may make them more or less suitable for your needs. Here are a few differences between natural and synthetic materials and why those differences matter.

Natural Rubber

Working with natural rubber is an ancient technology that began in Mesoamerica. While modern innovations have improved the production and use of natural rubber, its versatility has made it a popular and valuable material for thousands of years.

How Natural Rubber Is Made

Natural rubber starts with tree sap. While thousands of species produce latex-rich sap, the Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis) is the most important for commercial production.

Rubber producers tap trees by slashing the tree’s bark and collecting the sap. They add ammonia to the collected sap to keep it from solidifying, and then acids are added to the mixture to coagulate the rubber. Excess water is removed by pressing and drying the mixture, and then the dried rubber is baled for shipment.

Advantages of Natural Rubber

The chief advantage of natural rubber is the material’s flexibility and strength. Natural rubber also resists cutting and wear. These properties make natural rubber ideal for applications where flexibility and durability are paramount.

Synthetic Rubber

In addition to natural rubber, Clark Rubber and Plastic provides custom rubber molding with various synthetic rubber materials. While natural and synthetic materials have different qualities, they have several features in common.

How Synthetic Rubber Is Made

Manufacturing synthetic rubber begins with a petrochemical base. Oil and coal are the most common sources of these chemicals. A mixture of hydrocarbons is made from the chemical base, then refined to produce naphtha. Natural gas is added to the naphtha to produce monomers such as styrene, chloroprene, and propylene. A catalyst is then added to polymerize the material into the desired form. These polymers can then be heat treated to produce the desired properties.

Advantages of Synthetic Rubber

The main advantage of synthetic rubber materials is its versatility. While no one material can do everything, synthetic rubbers can be formulated for a variety of specialized needs. Examples of this include:

• Polyisobutylene has exceptional shock absorption properties and is commonly used in construction to protect buildings from earthquakes.
• Ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) is resistant to environmental factors. This makes EPDM a good choice for applications that need superior weather resistance.
• Neoprene is water and corrosion-resistant, making it an excellent choice for marine applications.
• Nitrile is puncture and chemical resistant, making it a superior option for PPEs.

Whether an application requires extreme heat tolerance, chemical resistance, or light tolerance, synthetic rubber meets that need.

Rubber Molding for Your Needs

Clark Rubber and Plastic offers custom rubber molding for various applications and industries. We have experience making natural and synthetic rubber for automotive, military, solar, and more applications. If you need molded rubber parts for your business, contact us for a quote.