Flexible Solutions

Technological advances in properties of soft, flexible foam and elastomeric materials have continued to advance. These thick, soft, flexible foams and elastomers are ideal materials for sealing, gasketing and cushioning across many industries and applications. They compress, form to irregular surfaces, bend, and flex within an application without damage or de-lamination, but from the perspective of the die cutter, may also introduce challenges when trying to achieve the tight dimensional tolerances common in metal and plastic-molded parts.

We have published a new success story!  In this story, the customer required a static seal for a navigation module that would be contained and used on the exterior of a recreational vehicle.  The exterior navigation/infotainment module would be exposed to outdoor elements including extreme temperature swings, rain, wind and dust.  The gasket was required to perform as designed for the life expectancy of the class A RV.  This can be more than 10 years!  

Thermal resistivity and thermal conductivity can be two very important physical features of foam materials to certain applications. Most devices containing electronics must be designed to deal with heat in one way or another. Electronic circuitry operates most reliably at lower temperatures. High operating temperatures decrease the service life of the device or module.  It is critical for designs to either conduct or isolate heat.

When choosing a foam for a product design, one feature that should be considered is the compression set resistance of the foam.  C-Set is one of the most important characteristics to consider, and this blog post answers three basic questions to explain why. 

Imagine going 65 mph in your vehicle while on a road trip. The road you are driving on is old, so your vehicle bobs up and down the many dips and divots; your speakers are loud and are causing your rear view mirror to vibrate, making it hard to see; and your moon roof has a roaring noise sneaking through the cracks. These foul disturbances are examples of NVH, also known as Noise Vibration Harshness.

Marian has a brand new demonstration piece to share with the world! Strategically named "Test My Memory," the demo illustrates the impact of compression cycling over time with 4 different foams. "Test My Memory" demonstrates that certain foams depreciate as it takes on impact over time, whereas other foams such as PORON^® Urethaneand BISCO^® Silicone resist the compression set, ensuring an excellent seal. Foams that resist a compression set make for a good seal in a gasket because the material rebounds to fill any potential gaps that could allow for water or other outside particles to pass through.

Applications that experience periodic compression cycling over time may require a gasket that is capable of compression rebound. In the event that your application uses a material that does not resist compression force, the material may depreciate over time. When your gasket has dwindled or has deteriorated from all of the periodic compression cycling, your gasket will become ineffective and will need to be replaced. In a perfect world, your gasket should rebound to fill any potential gaps. Using a material with great compression resistance will guarantee a long-term sealing performance that will work just as effectively each time you reseal your application.