Elastomer Technologies, Inc.

At Elastomer Technologies we have a reputation for resourcefulness, which we demonstrated during the production of the water flow control valve gasket highlighted here. This component consists of two duck bill valves with a .003" web of material across their mouths. At issue was the fact that the client had already invested in the tooling, but was experiencing difficulty sourcing a high volume of quality parts. With our strong history for problem-solving, the mold shop that built the tooling suggested to the client that they contact us for a solution.As built, the mold design was less than optimal for repeatable production of this part, which had complicated features and close tolerance requirements. The part geometry was filled from thick to thin, the cold tip gating was very problematic, and the location of the valve shut-off was too close to the gate. These three issues combined made it very difficult to keep the fill consistent and geometries accurate, especially over a long production run.Having an all-electric injection molding press equipped with the very latest in control technologies allowed us to define a very narrow processing window. In addition to keeping close control over temperature, pressure, processing, and cooling time, this system features a feedback loop to report processing conditions and automatically make adjustments. This resulted in a high degree of part repeatability.Molded from 50A and 70A durometer liquid silicone rubber, the part featured dimensions of 1.5" in length x 0.75" in width x .250" in height. Numerous quality checkpoints, including first article inspection, 100% inspection at the molding press, as well as a comprehensive final examination validated we met the .003" tolerance requirements. Our capabilities allowed us to adapt our processes to their existing tooling and achieve exceptionally high yield rates under difficult conditions.We continue to fulfill orders for this product several times throughout the year. Considering the high volume requirement, our intelligent solution allows us to mold and ship 25, 000 to 100, 000 units within a narrow three-week timeframe.

The medical industry and combining it with our technically strong workforce, Elastomer Technologies produced the disc valve highlighted here. Designed for use in eye surgery equipment, part thickness transitioned from 0.050" to 0.010" over a 0.500" diameter. With +0.000"-0.003" tolerance requirement, this job presented challenges in tooling design, process engineering, and quality management. With our past record of success, the client was confident that we would meet their high quality expectations.To achieve the required accuracy and consistency on an exceptionally thin-walled part, we stretched the limits of the injection molding process to the extreme. We took the time up front to develop a tooling design that would ensure repeatable production and an acceptable yield rate. This necessitated venting in the center of the part using a pin, which we configured in a way that avoided any possibility of flash forming along the part's edges.Using a 50-ton all electric molding press and medical-grade liquid silicone rubber, we closely monitored all aspects of production to ensure process repeatability and a very low reject rate. One-hundred percent process verification and validation right at the machine ensured that the products packaged and shipped to the client met their strict quality criteria. By approaching this project with our usual focus and agility, we were able to complete it within a narrow timeframe.