It's pretty hard to find a more flexible material than rubber. Manufacturers have a lot of innovative ways to customize it, making rubber work out for all kinds of projects. If you plan on using custom rubber parts made from a manufacturer, review these tips.
1. Figure Out What Mold Is Ideal
Most custom rubber parts are made with a mold. You thus want to spend some time figuring out how the mold should be shaped and sized so that the rubber parts after manufacturing have the right qualities you're looking for.
Molds are often made using rendering software, which gives you a convenient way to mess around with different ideas that come to you. For optimal design results though, you might hire custom manufactured rubber product suppliers. They can take your ideas and fast-track the design process so that you're not up against tight deadlines.
2. Put Rubber Samples Through Tests
You don't want to make a bunch of custom rubber parts for a particular project before putting them through tests. That could lead to expensive material waste as you may realize the parts don't have the right design to work just right.
Whereas if you put a couple of rubber part samples through tests, you can see early on how the parts will work in real time for the target purpose. You'll see design flaws easily if they are present and then you can continue to refine your rubber parts and the molds that create them until every detail is perfected.
3. Review Different Rubber Compounds
It's important to realize that not all custom rubber parts are made from the same compounds. There are actually many options available today that manufacturers can use when delivering custom rubber parts.
If you go through them and review their properties, it's more likely that you'll select a compatible rubber compound that does what it needs to do. For instance, if your rubber parts are going to be exposed to outside elements, you need completely weatherproof compounds. Whereas if the parts will be exposed to heat, then heat-resistant rubber compounds will work out best.
Manufacturing methods for custom rubber parts have come a long way, which presents some great opportunities for many different projects in many different industries. If you know what to do from a design and material selection standpoint, you will get the most out of custom rubber parts regardless of application.
