A history can be seen in heat lamps. Tens of thousands of cured polyurethane sheets, blocks, meshes and everything in between have came to life under their gentle heat. While we've moved forward to a larger setup now, it's functionally...
Have a glimpse of the competition's handiwork with a rebond. This is a strip and recoat job in the middle of stripping, those are air pockets where the materials have not bonded. Someone didn't cure properly. This is not only...
Dogbone Rollers are a versatile production line tool, quite literally carrying a lot of our industry along. From boat trailer guides to various pipe-making feeds, to practically anything you can imagine needing a safe guided path through the factory line....
When a brand name becomes synonymous with a material, we have a habit of attaching that label to the product. In essence, we let the marketing machinery rule our vocabulary. Plexiglass is one such material, a transparent thermoplastic that has...
Engineering plastics are ruled by mighty acronyms and advanced terminological labels, industry labels born of intricately formulated polymers. UHMW polyethylene is a prime candidate among a burgeoning group of designer polymers. The acronym in this tough plastic stands for Ultra-High...
A mining complex is a terrible place to install man-made tools and equipment. Abrasive rocks cut at rigid metal panels. Water pours down every rough wall, and humidity kills electrical circuitry. Rubber products for the mining industry arbitrate this geological...
Polymers are the metaphorical clay that forms the backbone of the plastics industry. The long chains of molecules are open to chemical tailoring, meaning a chemist can add many desirable characteristics and use this polymerization process to create specialised plastics....
When you're reading brochures sent out by plastic fabrication plants, it's fairly common to find highlighted passages that talk of custom design services, and this lofty work ideal extends to customised plastic and rubber mouldings. While it's true that moulding...
Before attempting to explain pipeline pigs, it's necessary to cover some pipeline basics. Otherwise, we could regale a wide-eyed site visitor with details on hydrostatic testing all day long and end up with nothing but confused stares. It's best just...
When moulding wheel pulleys, the design engineer is building a pivotal part of a reliable load-bearing structure. The wheel is expected to multitask, to rotate effortlessly without generating friction, all while guiding a drive belt or cable or chain around...
Protective rubber linings are typically regarded by people as part of the mobile technology revolution. They're the coverings and cases that dress up expensive smartphones. Such impact-absorbing cases are a blessing for our electronics-obsessed society, but they're a one trick...
It's tough to find any corner of the planet where rigid plastic packaging isn't dominating our consumer-driven lives. The bottles and cups we drink from at our local coffee shops are made from this popular polymer, as are the rows...
Rubber products are defined by mechanical elasticity, obviously, but what if we were to change the context of this descriptive term? Mechanically elastic by design, the products created by the material also display elastic versatility, a number of variable features...
Additive manufacturing technology is the new kid on the block, relatively speaking. The process uses fused deposition modelling (FDM) technology to deposit successive layers of material on top of each other to form prototypes and production-grade components. The principles in...
Dimensional precision partners structural stability to form an important pair of design features, hugely important parameters that rule today's manufacturing processes, but elastomer products purposefully break this rule. The amorphous nature of a rubbery material exhibits malleable characteristics, resilient elasticity...
Raw material costs send markets tumbling. Rubber and plastic fabrication shops react to commodity fluctuations in their own inimitable fashion, cutting the chaff from processing facilities, but it takes the right manufacturing partner to know which part of a technically...
The march of a rubber component, from concept to realisation, begins with a discussion brief and a set of specifications. Technical drawings then provide an outline of a three-dimensional product, a physical prototype. Of course, the rubber moulding process employs...
In describing a no-frills version of the plastic injection moulding process to curious onlookers, the transformative mechanism is usually condensed into a few steps. There's the "injection" of melted plastic pellets. Pressure is applied to the liquid stream as it's...