What Are Elastomers?
Elastomers are polymers with elastic properties, meaning they return to their original shape after being stretched or compressed. Common examples include natural rubber, silicone, nitrile, and EPDM. These materials are valued for their flexibility, resilience, and ability to withstand challenging environments such as high heat, corrosive chemicals, or constant mechanical stress.
Why Elastomer Selection Matters
Choosing the wrong elastomer can lead to premature failure, increased maintenance costs, and costly downtime. Here are some of the most important factors to consider:
1. Operating Environment
- Temperature Range: Silicone excels in high temperatures, while EPDM performs well in steam and weather exposure.
- Chemical Resistance: Nitrile is excellent for fuel and oil resistance. Viton (FKM) offers exceptional chemical durability.
- UV & Ozone Exposure: For outdoor use, materials like EPDM and FKM offer strong UV stability.
2. Mechanical Requirements
The following mechanical requirements are factors that impact which type of elastomer could be chosen for the application.
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- Compression Set The material’s permanent deformation after compression, compared to its original thickness: important for parts in sealing applications, where the material must be able to “bounce back” to retain the seal.
- Tear and Abrasion Resistance: Choose a material that can withstand dynamic, high-wear environments for items such as rollers, seals, and protective covers, where durability and long service life are critical.
- Hardness (Durometer): Material selection should align with the desired and required hardness or flexibility of the finished part.
- Compliance Requirements: Does your application require FDA-grade materials, UL ratings, or industry-specific certifications? Make sure your selected elastomer meets all relevant standards.
Elastomer Selection Guide
To make your decision easier, we’ve developed an Elastomer Selection Guide—a simple visual tool that compares the most common industrial elastomers across key properties such as temperature resistance, chemical compatibility, mechanical/tensile strength, weathering and UV stability, compression set resistance, tear resistance, and other factors shown in the following chart.
This guide is designed to help engineers, buyers, and maintenance teams quickly evaluate the right material for their application.
Tip: No single elastomer excels in all categories. Use this guide as a starting point, then consult with an application engineer to refine your choice based on real-world operating conditions.
Benefits of Custom Molded Elastomer Parts
Off-the-shelf solutions may not always meet unique industrial requirements. Custom molded elastomer parts offer several advantages:
Precision Fit: Better sealing, fewer leaks, and reduced assembly issues.
Optimized Material Performance: Get the best elastomer for your environment—not a generic compromise.
Streamlined Assembly: Reduce part count and improve installation efficiency by integrating multiple functions into a single molded component.
Branding and Traceability: Custom molded parts can include part numbers, batch codes, or logos to help with tracking and maintenance.
Common custom molded elastomer parts include seals & gaskets, o-rings, vibration pads/isolators, protective boots and bellows, diaphragms and bumpers.
Finding the Right Partner
Choosing the right elastomer is only half the equation. An experienced company can help you:
- Select the ideal material based on application data
- Optimize part design for performance and manufacturability
- Build tooling for prototyping and production
- Ensure quality control and consistency from batch to batch
- Make sure the part fits and functions as intended
From harsh chemical exposure to extreme temperatures and demanding mechanical loads, industrial applications push flexible materials to their limits. With the right material and a well-designed custom part, you can reduce failures, cut maintenance costs, and be sure your product application performs as intended.