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Rubber and Silicone Forming: Tubing, Sheet, O-Rings and Bands
Rubber is shaped soft and then cured, the curing locking its shape and giving it its spring. Natural rubber is mixed on a two-roll mill with sulfur and activators such as zinc oxide; silicone rubber comes as a ready compound. Tubing is extruded through a ring die and cured with heat; rubber bands are extruded tube cured on mandrels and sliced across. Sheet is calendered between rolls and cured. O-rings and gaskets are compression moulded: a measured charge is laid in a heated mould cavity, the press closes, the heat cures it, and the thin flash is trimmed off.
Advanced
Minutes per moulding (industrial)
Instructions
1
1
Why rubber is cured
Why rubber is cured
What sulfur does to natural rubber.
2
2
Compound
Compound
Natural rubber is worked on a two-roll mill and the sulfur and zinc oxide are mixed in evenly.
Materials for this step:
Smoked Rubber Sheet50 kg
Sulfur Powder1 kg
Zinc Oxide Powder2 kgTools needed:
Two-Roll Rubber Mill3
3
Extrude tubing
Extrude tubing
Compound or silicone is extruded through a ring die as tube and cured with heat; for rubber bands, the tube is cured on mandrels and sliced across into bands.
Materials for this step:
Silicone Rubber Compound20 kgTools needed:
Plastic Extruder
Extrusion Die
Annealing Oven4
4
Calender sheet
Calender sheet
Compound is pressed into an even sheet between rolls and cured.
Tools needed:
Two-Roll Rubber MillAnnealing Oven5
5
Compression mould O-rings
Compression mould O-rings
A measured charge goes into each cavity of a heated O-ring mould; the press closes and holds until the rubber cures; the mould opens and the flash is trimmed.
Tools needed:
Heated Compression Moulding Press
Compression Mould6
6
Check
Check
Inside diameter, cross-section and wall thickness are measured.
Tools needed:
Digital Caliper 6-InchMaterials
4- 50 kgPlaceholder
- 1 kgPlaceholder
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Tools Required
7- Placeholder
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