Rubber Material Science
The resiliency and elasticity of rubber enables Boyd to design and manufacture durable and flexible solutions for sealing, environmental protection, and shock absorption.
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.
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 |
Manufacturing Capabilities
Have questions? We’re ready to help!