Rubber Material Science at Boyd

Rubber is an elastic polymeric substance that can be either natural or synthetic. It can regain its original shape within limits after being deformed if not vulcanized. Vulcanizing rubber adds strength. Rubber is generally tough, resilient, and resistant to environmental and chemical exposure. It is used as a key ingredient in a wide variety of material formulations including sponge, foam, adhesives, and films in addition to traditionally recognized rubber components like hoses.

Boyd custom compounds, molds, extrudes, and converts rubber to produce resilient components that offer a variety of characteristics. Our rubber material science heritage dates 70+ years.

rubber compound prepared for production

Featured Rubber: Silicone

Boyd has been compounding and manufacturing silicone components for medical, eMobility, food, transportation, construction, and aerospace applications for over 40 years. Boyd’s high quality silicone processes enable us to produce silicone tubes, extruded profiles, o-rings and sheets to complex silicone molded parts and assembled products.

Rubber Materials

Material

Additional Names

Key Characteristics

Products & Industries

Butyl

Isobutylene Isoprene, IIR

Excellent gas permeability and weathering.

Adhesives, airtight seals, air bladders, tires, chemical containment and stoppers, wire and cable insulation, weather stripping

Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene 

CSPE, CSM, Hypalon, Hailon, Lianda or TOSO-CSM®

Excellent weather resistance. Good heat, flame and chemical resistance.

Chemical processing and containment, mining operations, mass transit.

EPDM

Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer

Resistance to heat, UV, ozone and aging.

Automotive gaskets and O-rings, window and door seals, cooling system hoses, non-slip surfaces, wire and cable connectors and insulators.

Epichlorohydrin

ECH, CO, ECO

Excellent heat, ozone, mineral oil and alkalis resistance.

Automotive and Industrial seals, hoses, and membranes.

Fluoroelastomer

Fluorosilicone (FVMQ), Fluorocarbons (FKM), FPM, Viton™, Dyneon®, Technoflon®, Dai-El®, perfluoro-elastomers (FFKM)

Excellent low to high temperature range stability. Excellent compression set and rebounding like Silicone. Added benefits of chemical resistance to non-polar solvents, fuels, oils, acids, and alkaline chemicals.

Aerospace gaskets and O-rings, Chemical processing, and automotive sealing.

Neoprene

Chloroprene (CR), polychloroprene

Excellent abrasion resistance and rebounding.

Gaskets, hoses, electrical insulation, waterproofing.

Nitrile

Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), Buna-N, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber

Excellent oil and abrasion resistance. Cost effective.

Hoses, seals, grommets, protective gloves, molded goods, sponges, expanded foams.

Polyisoprene

Natural Rubber

Excellent tear and abrasion resistance

Anti-vibration mounts, springs, bearings, adhesives.

Polyurethane

PUR, PU

High abrasion and impact resistance

Shock and noise absorption

Tear resistance

High load bearing capacity

High flex fatigue resistance

Cutting surfaces, surface protection and bumpers, liners

Silicone

Θ, polysiloxanes

Excellent low to high temperature range stability. Excellent compression set and rebounding.

Pharmaceutical, medical, electrical, automotive and aerospace applications hoses, and seals, medical breathing tubes, and high temperature automotive hoses.

Styrene-Butadiene

Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), Buna-S

Good abrasion and aging resistance.

Molded rubber goods, conveyor belts, shoe soles and heels, adhesives, roll coverings and car tires.

Synthetic Polyisoprene

IR

Synthetic version of Natural Rubber with many of the same properties, like excellent tear and abrasion resistance.

Anti-vibration mounts, springs, bearings, adhesives.

Thermoplastic Elastomers*

Thermoplastic Rubbers, Copolymer Class, TPE

*Physical mix of plastic and rubber that exhibits thermoplastic and elastomeric properties, behaves like thermoset rubber but is melt processable via thermoplastic processing methods for reprocessing and remolding
Includes:

  • - Styrenic block copolymers (TPS)
  • - Thermoplastic copolyester (TPC)
  • - Thermoplastic polyamides (TPA)
  • - Thermoplastic polyolefinelastomers (TPO)
  • - Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU)
  • - Thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPV)
  • - Non-classified thermoplastic elastomers (TPZ)

Automotive weatherstripping, Medical Applications, Consumer appliances and electronics, 3D printing

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