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Although finding the right gasket material is definitely part of the puzzle, there’s also the matter of deciding how you need your gasket seal adhesive to function within your application.
As a custom gasket manufacturer, we’re often working with a range of different adhesives and materials. Today, we’re guiding you through a few of the questions we’d ask about your gasket design.
By the end of this article, you should understand the factors that should go into choosing a rubber gasket seal adhesive.
What are Rubber Gasket Adhesives?
An adhesive holds a gasket in place, depending on the application (of which there are literally thousands). Yet, not all gasket applications require an adhesive. For instance, some are held on by mechanical fasteners: bolts (classic car engine) or screws (watch).
Now, say you’re choosing a rubber gasket seal adhesive: what questions should you ask before selecting one for your next application? Let’s take a look at some questions that might help you.
5 Questions to Ask About Your Seal
Before committing to a seal design, ask an adequate number of questions about your design goals to find the best adhesive fit for your project.
#1: HOW STRONG DOES THE SEAL NEED TO BE?
Compared with tape, a seal made with a rubber gasket is more robust simply because the rubber is thicker and more durable so it can absorb more force exerted on it.
How much force? Well, although each application is different, it’s clear that putting 1,000 psi of force on a small surface area is enough to test any adhesive. In any case, the adhesive will likely fail before the rubber gasket itself due to the incredible amount of force.
That brings us to the surface area. If an application has limited space available to apply the adhesive, the importance of the adhesive is magnified (larger surfaces have superior adhesion). For instance, if the surface area is large enough, one converted piece of rubber with suitable adhesive can replace that same rubber with 25 screws.
Some demanding applications use mechanical fasteners and adhesives to increase the bond and prevent failure. For example, bolts may serve as a backup if the adhesive fails. Conversely, an adhesive may do nothing more than hold the gasket in place until a mechanical fastener is added to make a solid seal.
#2. WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS WILL THE GASKET FACE?
Similar to how available surface area directly affects a bond’s holding power, the environment in which the rubber gasket seal performs is critical. Exposure to high temperatures, pressure, and chemicals must be considered and tested.
Although rubber gaskets have been used in nearly any application imaginable (field testing is the ultimate test), a converter needs to send samples of any solution to a customer for trial. Application methods and conditions do vary, so testing is a must.
#3. HOW LONG DOES THE SEAL NEED TO HOLD?
Not every type of adhesive is designed to hold for the same amount of time. Even different gasket applications have different requirements, from temporary to permanent and everything in between.
Adhesives are generally classified based on their form: tape, film, paste, liquid and solid. By the nature of the rubber, rubber gasket seals have high initial tack and hold, but not as strong a final hold as acrylic tape.
#4. WHAT ARE THE SUBSTRATES?
Hundreds of converters can flatbed die cut various shapes of rubber. The magic happens with the adhesive, but that can’t be determined until the substrates (A.K.A. the surfaces) are considered.
Substrates ultimately determine which adhesives can be used, and the type of adhesives may or may not limit the material you use for the gasket. Some substrates, like metals, are not very picky regarding adhesives. However, low surface energy plastics have limited adhesives and do not behave well with all types of gasketing material.
#5. WHAT IS THE APPLICATION?
This blog post mentions “applications” throughout, so why include it now? Because this is the most important question (and we’ve saved the best for last).
Some applications lend themselves best to rubber gaskets because of a converter’s ability to create the right solution.
Have you noticed trucks on the highway with no visible bolts on the side? That’s likely an adhesive tape/gasket creating a seal and eliminating the need for bolts or rivets.
Apply 40 pounds of pressure to ¼ inch foam rubber, compressing it to ⅛ inch, and it becomes waterproof. Compress it to 1/16th inch, and it handles pressure at 10,000-foot depths. Compress it to 1/32 inch, and its seal is tight enough for space travel. This is how the compression factor plays a role in gasketing.
Large and thin rectangles of rubber can be complex to handle independently. However, a converter can precisely die cut them and use a backing material to keep their shape until they’re put in place. At that point, a liner is removed, and the other matching part is applied, usually using automation to make it an exact fit.
The importance of automation in gasket-making can’t be overlooked. Many converters can cut flatbed parts that must be applied by hand. The real value comes with engineering that creates a converted, automation-friendly, and ready product.
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Perfecting Your Gasket Design
Designing a gasket is no easy task, and it becomes even more challenging when you begin to consider gasket adhesives.
If you have a gasket design, consider submitting it for evaluation based on how simple it would be to manufacture. As a flexible material converter, we’ve made millions of gaskets and can recommend materials and adhesives to increase manufacturability.
You can also find additional resources and gasketing tips in our Learning Center, or contact us with questions. Hopefully, these questions will help you design the perfect gasket— happy gasketing!
Originally published: November 23, 2021
Quality considerations are a significant area to be aware of when designing custom rubber seals, gaskets or mouldings so here are some top tips for your consideration. They are based on speaking with design engineer customers and DP Seals 40 years experience and expertise in the custom rubber seals, gaskets and mouldings business.
TIP 1: Think about and prioritise the different aspects of quality before talking with your manufacturer
Prioritisation is key and one of the best tips I can give design engineers is to really think about what they mean by quality before discussing this with their manufacturer. Quality could mean less flash, split line, integrity, surface finish, appearance or even rubber mix. Prioritising your requirements will really help in discussions about material selection and design considerations.
TIP 2: Understand where you do need extra quality as well as where you don’t!
Following on from the previous tip I think it’s important to review the overall design of the part basics, like fit and function. Review elements such as hardness, material choice, tolerance criteria, surface finishes and feed point positions to build a strong picture of where you do and don’t require extra quality.
Tip 3: Closely consider the capability and credentials of your manufacturing partner.
A custom made rubber moulding can sometimes really push the boundaries with, for example, the need for tiny holes, radius or lip features. All of these details are very often critical to how the component functions in application and this may necessitate the requirement for no ‘flash’, ‘feed’ points or ‘split’ lines in these areas.
Thoroughly consider the toolmaking, design, moulding, prototyping, manufacturing, quality and accreditation standards of your manufacturer. At DP Seals, for example, it is our patented ‘transfer’ moulding system and first class approach to quality that makes many of the demanding requirements we’ve described above possible.
TIP 4: Get your manufacturing partner involved in the process as early as possible
The most important thing for a manufacturer is to have the opportunity to be involved early in the design process. At DP Seals, as a team with over 40 years experience we can add real value at this stage through our expert knowledge in material selection, design experience, prototyping and helping with all the points we’ve made in this article.
Summary
In this article we’ve touched on some of the key things design engineers should consider in respect to quality when designing custom rubber, seals, gaskets or mouldings. We’ve mentioned:
- the importance of prioritisation
- thinking about different quality requirements for different aspects of the design
- sharing what you don’t need as much as what you do need
- choosing a manufacturer with the required credentials and capabilities
- involving your manufacturer early in the design process
Of course we’ve largely written about quality in respect to finish of the part in this article but we like to consider quality throughout the whole design and manufacturing process. From initial discussions through to your manufacturing partner checking that you’re happy with the solution after receipt of the parts. Quality should run throughout.
It’s also important to remember that quality is just one consideration and shouldn’t be seen in isolation. Every design is different with its own unique features. That’s why we’ve produced the following articles and support which will help you think about many of these other considerations.
Other articles include:
You might also be interested in:
Guides
Videos
These videos provide useful tips, advice and information about the rubber moulding process and DP Seals.
If you have any questions about this post or thoughts about other top tips I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Andrew Piper is the Managing Director of DP Seals a renowned, global custom rubber seals, gaskets and mouldings manufacturer. DP Seals manufactures high precision custom seals, gaskets and mouldings for the Aerospace, Subsea Oil & Gas, Medical, Specialist Automotive, Motorsport, Food & dairy and Instrumentation & electronics sectors. Based in Poole, UK, the company has 40 years expertise and experience.
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