Flexible Solutions

Corona Treatment of Silicone Elastomers and Plastic Films

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Aug 12, 2020 8:30:00 AM

Silicone rubber materials and some plastic films have chemically inert and non-porous surfaces, which equates to low surface energy. This means they have a weak molecular bonding force making it difficult to create a bond with many pressure sensitive adhesives.

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Topics: Surface Energy, Foams, BISCO Silicone, Silicone

Die-Cut Solutions for Rapid Diagnostic Testing

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Jun 22, 2020 8:45:00 AM

Point-of-care and rapid diagnostic testing are increasingly important in the areas of disease detection, treatment monitoring, and preventative care. This market is particularly important as the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic. It is imperative that components of these devices and test kits are reliable and of the highest quality.

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Topics: Foams, medical device, Medical PSA, 3m tape

BISCO HT-800 Medium Silicone Foam: Material Spotlight

Posted by Katie Sullivan

May 27, 2020 12:02:32 PM

Per the Rogers Corporation Website, Rogers “BISCO HT-800 Medium Cellular Silicone offers the lightness of foam with the enhanced sealing capabilities of sponge rubber.” In this post, we are going to dive a little deeper into this excellent material.

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Topics: Foams, LED Lighting, BISCO Silicone, Silicone

Silicone Rubber, a Low Surface Energy Material

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Mar 31, 2020 10:00:00 AM

Silicone Rubber, a "Low Surface Energy" Elastomer, what does this mean?

Silicone is a high performance elastomer with the ability to withstand extreme temperatures, both high and low. It also naturally repels, which makes it an excellent choice for a water seal or a moisture barrier. However, this also makes silicone tricky to bond to other surfaces.

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Topics: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive, Surface Energy, Foams, BISCO Silicone, Silicone

Where there is a Need for Automated Assembly… Marian Can Help!

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Oct 18, 2019 10:00:00 AM

Custom Die-cut Parts for Automated Assembly

Among numerous assembly options, automated assembly is often the method of choice for many of our customers. Automated placement is used for projects with very high volumes where precise placement is critical. Automated assembly can also significantly increase assembly speed and efficiency.

Marian designs and manufactures custom components to fit seamlessly into our customers’ automated assembly process. We can modify many different aspects of the final part and packaging from liner type, part spacing and orientation, and quantity of parts per roll.  

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Topics: Foams, die cutting, AccuPlace, Automated Assembly

3 Common Misconceptions About Durometer

Posted by Andrew Bonar

Jul 9, 2019 9:32:31 AM

 
The Shore durometer (pictured right) is a scale for measuring the hardness of a material, such as rubber, plastic, thermal  plastics (TPE), and rigid plastics. The term "durometer" is often used to describe a material's rating on the scale, for example “this material has a durometer of 60.”
  
It's worth noting, there are a variety of durometer scales since elastomeric and plastic resins vary over a wider range than one scale can accommodate. Download our comparison chart to see how these scales overlap.
 
Durometer hardness is one of many physical properties considered when selecting a material for a specific application. Beware of some common misconceptions. Durometer hardness is often inaccurately confused with the properties described below. 

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Topics: Foams, Compression Force Deflection, PORON, PORON Foam, Elastomers, Material selection

PORON® EVExtend For Use In EV/HEV Li-ion Pouch Cell Batteries

Posted by Katie Sullivan

May 29, 2019 1:01:15 PM

Materials for Battery Solutions - PORON® EVExtend

Our valued material supplier, Rogers Corporation, has released PORON® EVExtend polyurethane foam material. This material is ideal for battery pads for EV/HEV li-ion pouch cell batteries. The EXExtend 4701-43HBF offers an increased flammability rating of HBF, or HF1 (product dependent). 

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Topics: Foams, PORON Foam, EV, HEV, Material selection

Tolerance Challenges When Die Cutting Soft, Flexible, Thick Materials

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Jan 17, 2019 9:20:00 AM

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.

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Topics: Foams, BISCO Silicone, PORON Foam, Elastomers, Tolerance

Open Cell Foam or Closed Cell Foam: Which is Best?

Posted by Lynn Zeheralis

Jan 31, 2018 8:46:26 AM

When selecting a foam for your application, have you every wondered if open or closed-cell foams are better? At Marian, we recommend materials based on a product’s application. This is certainly true when it comes to foam materials for use as a gasket. This means in order to recommend the best material, our first step is to understand the conditions, forces, stress and other requirements the gasket will experience in your end product.

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Topics: Foams

New success story: Silicone Gasket for Navigation/ Infotainment module

Posted by Katie Sullivan

Nov 8, 2017 12:22:44 PM

We have published a new customer 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 reliably perform for the life expectancy of the class A RV. This could be more than 10 years! The customer came to Marian for a solution.

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Topics: Foams, BISCO Silicone, Silicone