- Rubber materials commonly used for rubber gaskets
- How to design rubber gasket
- Rubber gasket manufacture process
Rubber gasket material
Rubber gaskets are widely used in various mechanical equipment for functions like cushioning, sealing, and vibration dampening.The main material of rubber gaskets include: silicone gaskets, nitrile rubber gaskets, fluorine rubber gaskets, and other composite rubber gaskets (such as cloth-laminated rubber gaskets, PTFE-rubber composite gaskets).
Silicone Rubber gasket
Silicone rubber gaskets (VMQ) perform well in both high and low-temperature resistance. They maintain excellent elasticity from -70°C to +260°C. These gaskets resist ozone and weather aging, making them perfect for thermal mechanical sealing applications. They are non-toxic, so they are also suitable for insulation and medical rubber products. Furthermore, they provide waterproof, flame-retardant, high-temperature, conductive, wear-resistant, and oil-resistant features. This versatility makes them popular in industries like machinery, electronics, and plumbing.
Nitrile Rubber (NBR) gasket
NBR (Nitrile-Butadiene Rubber) is a polymer formed by emulsion copolymerization of butadiene and acrylonitrile. It is famous for its excellent oil resistance and also exhibits good wear resistance, aging resistance, and air tightness, making it widely used in the rubber industry.
FKM/ Viton® Rubber gasket
FPM/FKM/ Viton® rubber has high-temperature resistance and can be used in environments ranging from -20°C to +200°C. It also has excellent resistance to strong oxidizers, oils, and acids/bases. It is typically used in high-temperature,high vacuum and high pressure environments. And it is widely used in the petroleum, chemical, aerospace, and aviation industries.
Fluorosilicone rubber gasket
Fluorosilicone rubber（FVMQ) has better low-temperature resistance than ordinary fluororubber, and can be used in scenarios that require both chemical resistance and low-temperature resistance. Typical fluorosilicone rubber gaskets can work at low temperatures of -60°C and maintain a certain degree of resilience.
EPDM rubber gasket
EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) is a terpolymer made from ethylene, propylene, and non-conjugated diene. This unique molecular structure gives it outstanding weather resistance, heat resistance, ozone resistance, and good electrical insulation properties.
Whether in high or low-temperature environments, EPDM maintains excellent elasticity and is resistant to hardening or embrittlement.
It also has good corrosion resistance and can withstand the erosion of various acids, alkalis, and organic solvents, ensuring that the sealing performance of equipment remains unaffected in corrosive environments like those in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
However, its performance can be compromised in highly corrosive environments involving strong oxidizers or concentrated acids and alkalis. Therefore, when selecting sealing materials, it is important to consider the specific operating conditions comprehensively.
Reference reading:
- Custom EPDM Rubber Gasket
- High temperature gasket
- How to Evaluate the Low-Temperature Performance of Rubber?
- How choose Between FKM vs FVMQ?
- FVMQ: Low-Temperature and Chemical Resistance Rubber Material
- Conductive rubber for an EMI shielding
- Certifications for Rubber Seals in Food and Hygiene industry:FDA,WRAS, NSF61, and KTW
Main Technical Parameters for Rubber Gaskets
| Rubber Material | Temperature Range | Chemical Resistance | Abrasion Resistance | Compression Set | Flexibility | Cost |
| Nitrile (NBR) | -40°C to +120°C | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| HNBR (Hydrogenated Nitrile) | -30°C to +150°C | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | High |
| Silicone (VMQ) | -60°C to +230°C | Fair | Fair | Fair | Excellent | Moderate |
| EPDM(Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) | -50°C to +150°C | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| Fluorocarbon (FKM/Viton) | -20°C to +200°C | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | High |
| FVMQ (Fluorosilicone) | -60°C to +225°C | Excellent | Fair | Good | Excellent | High |
| AEM (Ethylene Acrylic) | -40°C to +150°C | Excellent | Fair | Good | Good | High |
| ACM (Polyacrylate) | -25°C to +150°C | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| Neoprene | -40°C to +120°C | Good | Excellent | Good | Good | Moderate |
| FFKM (Perfluoroelastomer) | -20°C to +325°C | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Very High |
How to design rubber gasket?
Reference reading:
how to design gasket for gasoline application?
How to make a rubber gasket?
It can be manufactured by:
- compression molding
- cutting
- punching vulcanized rubber sheets
Compression molding uses a hydraulic press and molds to form the gasket.
While cutting uses a gasket cutting machine to cut the shape out of a rubber sheet without tool.It could be used for small batch production.
Punching process also requires a press machine to get the the gasket from a rubber sheet. It could be used for higher volume gasket production.
The rubber sheet used for cutting or punching can be glued with double-sided adhesive.
Please contact us, OBT Rubber Seal, for a full custom rubber gaskets solution including product design.
