Choose the Right Rubber

As a contract manufacturer of rubber materials with over 50 years of experience, Advanced Rubber
Products has worked with clients on a wide range of products. We have extensive knowledge of
rubber manufacturing and create products based on our customer’s specialty molding needs.

Advanced Rubber Products is able to mold a wide range of rubber materials. Simply provide us with
your product design and drawing, and we will guide you through each step of the process, which
includes selected the proper rubber material. Our team of experts will work with you and your design
and find the rubber with the exact properties suited for your product and help to bring it to market
quicker.

Below are the more commonly used rubber materials that Advanced Rubber Products is able to
custom mold. Over 75% of ARP’s rubber materials are not black and are available in a variety of
colors and scents at no extra cost.

Natural / Isoprene:
Natural rubber is a polymer of isoprene and has a molecular weight of 100,000 to 1,000,000. An
organic material, sometimes traces of other materials such as proteins, resins and inorganic
materials can be found in high quality natural rubber. Natural rubber is formed in the bark of tropical
trees. Isoprene’s chemical and structural makeup is very similar to natural rubber’s. Both can be
used for similar applications although isoprene rubber has less green strength than natural rubber.

Ethylene Propylene Diene (EPDM)

A synthetic rubber and elastomer characterized by a wide range of applications. The “M” in EPDM
refers to the compound’s classification in ASTM standard D-1418. EPDM is a very durable, high-
density rubber making it a preferred material for products like gaskets, hoses and seals. The rubber
is extremely resistant to to heat, oxidation and weather due to its stable structure.

Nitrile Rubber (NBR)

Nitrile rubber is a copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile and is used most commonly in sealing
products. NBR is extremely resistant to oil and is therefore used in automotive seals, gaskets and
other products that contact hot oils and fuels. The more nitrile in the product’s composition, the more
resistant to oil it becomes at the expense of flexibility. NItrile rubber is also a very resilient material
making it ideal for products such as cleaning and examination gloves. Gloves made with nitrile
rubber are three times more resistant to punctures than gloves made with natural rubber or isoprene.

Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)

Styrene butadiene rubber is a synthetic rubber that is more resistant to abrasion than natural rubber.
It is predominantly used in automobile and truck tires as it stands up to heat and cracks and ages
well. The higher the styrene content in the rubber, the harder and less flexible the product becomes.

Silicone Rubber
Silicone rubber is a polymer composed of silicon combined with carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Materials made with this synthetic rubber are extremely resistant to heat and cold, being able to
withstand temperatures ranging from -80ºF to 400ºF. Resilient and durable, silicone rubber materials
resist prolonged exposure to sunlight, oxygen, ozone, moisture and UV light. Silicone rubber does
have its weaknesses however as products made of the elastomer are subject to tears and
abrasions. During manufacturing, heat is required to vulcanize (cure) the silicone into its rubber-like
form.

Butyl Rubber
Butyl is a synthetic rubber, also referred to as isobutylene isoprene. Butyl rubber has a variety of
uses and applications but its true value is its impermeability to air and gases. Butyl is also very
resistant to water and steam, which is why butyl rubber is used in sealants for damp proofing, rubber
roof repair and rubber membrane maintenance. First used as tire inner tubes, butyl rubber is now
applied to sporting ball bladders, gas masks and protective clothing, vial stoppers, explosives,
chewing gum and is even used as an additive in lubricating oils and motor fuels. The addition of
small amounts of polyisobutylene in lubricating oils results in a significant reduction of oil mist
inhaled by a machine operator.

Polybutadiene
The majority of polybutadiene is produced to manufacture automobile tires. The rubber is resistant to
abrasion, which is why polybutadiene is used to improve treads for large truck tires. The elastomer
can be very flexible, is resistant to electricity, has a high heat tolerance and used to manufacture
various types of elastic objects. Polybutadiene is also a material used to manufacture golf balls.
 Different types of thermoplastic resins
and their applications
By Cory Arbogast on May 1, 2015 11:10:00 AM


 Share


Molds are used to make a variety of objects you use everyday.

And the materials used in replicating these objects come

in a wide variety and are selected for each purpose based on flexibility, firmness,
durability and other key properties.

Check out this great list of the most-used materials in mold making and how they’re
normally used.

Polycarbonate

Description: An amorphous engineering thermoplastic, polycarbonates are

characterized by a combo of toughness, transparency, heat/flame resistance and
stability.

Used for: General-purpose molding and used to meet Food and Drug Administration
regulations for parts in food-contact and medical applications.

Acetal Copolymer Polyoxymethlene

Characteristics: Lower melting temperatures, which make them easier to process.

These have high tensile strength and
are flexible with good lubricity.

Acetal Homopolymer
Polyoxymethylene
Characteristics: High tensile strength and resilience and tough under repeated impact.
Low moisture absorption and excellent against friction and abrasion.

Acrylic

Description: Also known as Lucite, Perspex and Plexiglas, Acrylic – polymethyl

methacrylate (PMMA) – is used as a substitute for glass.

Used in: Making motorcycle helmet visors, aquariums, windows on planes, viewing
ports for submersibles and exterior lights and lenses for cars. It can also be used in
medicine to replace eye glass lenses and in bone cement. Acrylic paint is PMMA
particles suspended in water.

Nylon

Description: Nylon belongs to the polyamides class of polymers and is used in

manufacturing heat-resistant materials.

Used in: Nylon is often used as a substitute for silk in parachutes, flak vests, women’s
stockings, fabrics, rope, carpents and strings for musical instruments. It can also be
used for mechanical parts, machine screws and power tool casings.

Polyethylene

Description: Tough and resistant to chemicals, polyethylene comes from a group of

materials categorized by density and molecular structure and therefore can have
different uses based on those characteristics.

Used for: Based on the molecular weight and density of the polyethylene, it can be used
in everything from moving machine parts, bearings, gears, articificial joints, bulletproof
vests, margarine tubs, milk jugs, pipes, bottles, sacks and sheets.

Polypropylene

Description: A thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications.

Used in: Everything from reusable plastic containers, diapers, ropes, carpets, sanitary
pads, piping systems, car batteries, electrical cable insulation and filters for gases and
liquids. It can also be used as sheets for stationery folders, packaging and storage
boxes. In medicine, it is used to repair hernias and make heat-resistant medical
equipment.

Polystyrene

Desciption: A synthetic aromatic polymer made from styrene, polystyrene can be solid
or foamed.

Used in: Extruded polystyrene is used for disposable cutlery, plastic models of cars,
smoke detector housings and disposable cutlery. Expanded polystyrene foam insulates
packaging materials (aka: packing peanuts). Extruded polystyrene foam is styrofoam
and polystyrene copolymers are used to make toys and product casings.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Descrpition: A tough, lightweight material resistant to acids and bases.

Used in: The construction industry for vinyl siding, drain pipes, gutters and roofing
sheets. When converted to flexible forms with plasticizers, it’s used in everything from
hoses to tubing, electrical insulation, coats, jackets and upholstery. Inflatable products
like pool toys and water beds are also from flexible PVC.

Teflon

Description: The DuPont Corporation gave the polymer called polytetrafluoroethylene

the brand name teflon and it belongs to a class of thermoplastics known as
fluoropolymers.

Used in: Coating non-stick cookware, making containers and pipes that need to hold up
against reactive chemicals, and is used as a lubricant to reduce wear from friction
between sliding parts – gears, bearings, bushings.

Many of the products we use every day come from materials like these used in the
mold-making process. For similar topics, be sure to stay tuned to our blog, our online
newsletter and our social media platforms.

(SOURCE: Classroom Synonym Thermoplastics)

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)
After its experimental preparation in the 1930s, the application in high frequency radar
cables during World War II, gave impetus to its commercial production. This thermoplastic is
available in a range of flexibilities depending on the production process. High density
materials are the most rigid. The polymer can be formed by a wide variety of thermoplastic
processing methods and is particularly useful where moisture resistance and low cost are
required. Polyethylene is limited by a rather low temperature capability (200-250 F) but is
manufactured in billions of pounds per year.
Vinyl acetate can be copolymerized with ethylene. The resulting product has improved
transparency over homopolymerized polyethylene because of a reduction of crystallinity in
the copolymer.
ADVANTAGES:
 Low cost
 Impact resistant from -40 C to 90 C
 Moisture resistance
 Good chemical resistance
 Food grades available
 Readily processed by all thermoplastic methods
DISADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS:
 High thermal expansion
 Poor weathering resistance
 Subject to stress cracking
 Difficult to bond
 Flammable
 Poor temperature capability
Note:
In general, high density grades of polyethylene have densities up to 0.97 g/cm^. Low
density grades are as low as 0.91 g/cm^. Typically, the high-density material is more linear
and consequently more crystalline. As might be expected, this higher crystallinity permits
use at temperatures up to 130 C with somewhat better creep resistance below that
temperature. Low density polyethylene has less stiffness than the high density type. Blends
of the two types are common.

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS:
Toys, utensils, films, bottles, pipe and processing equipment. Wire and cable insulations.