Choosing the right material for your die cut gasket or seal: A guide to foam selection
As we continue with our blog series featuring our strategic sourcing partners, we turned to John Vinci, Senior Business Development Manager for Worldwide Foam, Ltd for supplier insight into the ins and outs of selecting the right foam for die cut parts. John was kind enough to share the following:
With so many choices for foams in the marketplace, it is not always easy to know where to turn. Do you need a material with strong ozone and oxidation resistance? One that is petroleum resistant? High heat resistant? Or able to withstand extreme cold temperatures? All of the above? Worldwide Foam offers many foam materials that are diverse in their chemical composition and mechanical properties... and JBC has the die cutting and materials expertise to help point you in the right direction.
Some of the most common types used for gaskets and other die-cut parts are:
Closed Cell Neoprene
Neoprene offers good resistance to acid, alkali, gasoline, and oil. Closed Cell Neoprene is excellent for applications that require resistance to UV, oxidation, and ozone in long-term outdoor applications. Neoprene is a 100% Neoprene rubber and is available in Soft, Medium, and Firm density and has a temperature range of -40°F to + 150°F.
EPDM
EPDM offers excellent resistance to ozone and oxidation and performs well in applications where temperatures can range from -70°F to + 220°F. This series of closed-cell EPDM is 100% EPDM rubber and is available in a soft and medium density.
Nitrile
Nitrile is an excellent gasket material for sealing applications that require fuel, oil and UV resistance. It has a high resistance to vegetable oil, animal oil, and mineral oil and performs well as a gasket or sealing material in petroleum-based applications. Nitrile rubber with a temperature range of -40°F to
+ 250°F and is available in a soft, medium and firm density.
ECH (Epichlorohydrin)
ECH offers excellent fuel and chemical resistance and performs well in applications where temperature can range from -40°F to 300°F.
EVA
EVA is lightweight foam and exhibits good mechanical strength, excellent chemical resistance, high buoyancy, low water absorption, and good acoustic properties. Closed Cell EVA foam can be supplied in 2-6 lb. densities and demonstrates excellent aging resistance in outdoor applications.
Closed Cell Neoprene/EPDM
Closed Cell Neoprene / EPDM sponge is an excellent general purpose gasketing material that can be used in both indoor and outdoor sealing applications which may see temperatures as low as -40° F and as high as + 250° F. Our Closed Cell Neoprene / EPDM sponge is both UL-94- HF-1 and FMVSS-302 listed and works well in gasketing applications that will be exposed to oils, ozone, sunlight, and oxidation. This gasket material is supplied in a variety of densities.
EPDM/SBR
Closed Cell Neoprene/EPDM/SBR combines the best qualities of these three polymers which creates an excellent gasket material used in many diverse indoor and outdoor applications.
Neoprene/EPDM/SBR sponge is resistant to ozone, sunlight, and oxidation. This material meets UL94HF-1 as well as many other common industrial specs and performs well in applications that range in temperature from -40°F to + 200°F.
Closed Cell Neoprene/PVC/Nitrile
Closed Cell Neoprene / PVC / Nitrile sponge is an economical sealing and gasket material for applications requiring good resistance to chemicals and conformance with UL 94 flammability ratings.
Crushed Cellular Foam
Crushed cellular foam, or semi-closed cell, is very soft (less than 1 psi on the 25% Compression Deflection scale) and is designed for sealing flexible or uneven substrates. This material is a closed-cell foam that is crushed to create small ruptures in the cells, allowing greater compression and less compression set than full closed-cell foams.
Cross-linked Polyethylene Foam Rolls
Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam has good thermal insulating properties and excellent chemical properties that make it suitable for a wide range of applications. Irradiated Cross-Linked Polyethylene foam has a smooth-skinned surface on both sides and is supplied in continuous rolls.
Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam Buns/Sheets
Cross-Linked Polyethylene Foam bun and sheet stock offer a very durable tight cell structure where a higher level of protection has good thermal insulating properties and excellent chemical properties that make it suitable for a wide range of applications.
Asked to provide insight as to “Why JBC?” John responded with the following:
JBC Technologies is a well established solutions provider that in addition to state of the art equipment offers the three key ingredients in any good business; people, product and process. They have a great customer service team , engineering support and sales professionals in the field and offer the industry's widest array of materials in order to quote an effective solution.
Need to locate the right foam for your die cut part? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with everything from material selection to design, production, testing, and more.