Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Felt
CGR Products stocks a large variety of materials for a wide range of applications. Flexible rubber sheeting, adhesive solutions, and fiber materials are just a few of our specialty options.
Our Material of the Month series spotlights some of our favorite materials and their unique applications. This month, we’re discussing Felt.
What is Felt?
Felt is a very versatile and resilient industrial fabric that is manufactured using different processes.
Needle Punch Process:
A fiber such as polyester is interlocked using a machine with thousands of needles moving in an up and down motion. Heat is then applied using a calendar roll to make a smoother surface and remove fuzziness from the felt. Calendaring can also be used to produce a firmer sheet. A binder can be added to felt that needs to be thermo-formable.
Woven:
Wool or wool blended with other yarn are woven into cloth and then felted using steam and pressure to interlock the fibers.
Pressed:
Wool fibers or wool blended with other fibers are pressed together with steam and pressure that allows the fibers to naturally interlock.
Material Terminology
Denier: weight in grams of one single thread of fiber 9,000 meters long.
Loft = thickness
Hand: the feel of the felt.
Weight: ounces per square foot or grams per square meter.
Vibration dampening gaskets, noise reduction, and lint and air seals.
General Industrial Applications
Industrial sander backing pads, floor protection pads, and oiler pads for slitting and friction applications.
Using Felt for Your Application
As flexible material specialists, the CGR team offers years of experience in converting felt into components to fit specialty projects. Our in-house precision cutting services include rotary and flatbed die cutting, kiss cutting, slitting, splitting, knife cutting, and more.
For more information about applications and fabrication possibilities, visit our Materials Page. To discuss any Felt options for your next project, please reach out to our team today.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Silicone Rubber
CGR Products stocks material choices of all kinds — flexible rubber sheeting, adhesive solutions, and fiber materials are just the beginning of our specialty options.
Our Material of the Month series spotlights some of our favorite materials and their unique applications. This month, we’re discussing silicone rubber.
What is Silicone Rubber?
Silicone rubber is a unique, extremely flexible synthetic elastomer. It is extraordinarily versatile and relatively simple to manufacture, making it essential for industries ranging from automotive to home goods.
Materials and Properties
In addition to its outstanding ease of production, this unique material offers a wide range of specialized properties, including:
High and low temperature stability
Compression resistance
Tear strength and flexibility
Long-term tensile strength and elongation properties
Excellent insulation
Easy coloration and formula customization
Resistance to chemicals, fungus, ozone, aging, weather, and flames
Varying degrees of hardness and softness
Applications and Industries
Silicone’s list of applications is constantly growing — its versatility and accessibility make it particularly appealing to innovators across industries. Some key uses include:
Sealants and gaskets in the automotive industry
Door and window seals in aeronautics and aviation
Equipment in food and beverage applications
Gaskets in electronics and energy transmission
Sensitive, hypoallergenic tools in medicine and veterinary science
Using Silicone for Your Application
As flexible material specialists, the CGR team offers years of experience in converting silicone into components to fit specialty projects. Our in-house precision cutting services include rotary and flatbed die cutting, kiss cutting, slitting, splitting, knife cutting, and more.
For more information about silicone’s unique applications and fabrication possibilities, visit our Silicone Rubber material page.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: EPDM Rubber
Highly Resistant and Versatile: A Solution for Everyday and Specialty Applications
This blog post is the third installment of a new CGR Products content series called “Material of the Month.” The series spotlights some of the unique materials that CGR works with, as well as their common applications.
Material selection can make all the difference when bringing a simple design idea to life. From cross linked polyethylene (XLPE) to acrylic foam tapes, our Material of the Month series highlights the benefits of these unique materials. This week, we’re featuring EPDM rubber.
What is EPDM Rubber?
Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, also known as synthetic rubber, is a smooth elastomer used in a wide variety of both specialty and general-purpose applications. It is resistant to heat, weather, and steam, and also functions as an excellent electrical insulator.
Benefits and Uses
EPDM rubber is exceptionally resistant to heat, oxidation, electricity, ozone, weather aging, and polar solvents such as alcohol, water, ketones, alkalines, and diluted acids. The water resistance and insulating qualities make EPDM rubber a popular choice for cable-jointing and other electrical applications.
EPDM rubber’s most frequent use is in seals for automotive vehicle windows, doors, and trunks, as well as cold-room doors, such as a refrigerator. The material’s strong insulating properties help to prevent water, heat, or cold from entering the sealed environment.
Other common uses of EPDM rubber include:
Automotive weather stripping
Tubing and hoses
Belts
Glass-run channels
Washers
Custom Fabrication at CGR
At CGR Products, we offer smooth, black commercial EPDM sheet rubber with thicknesses ranging from 1/16” to 1/2” and a PSI of 725. Our precision die cutting, knife cutting, and waterjet cutting services can trim synthetic rubber sheets to fit the exact shape and size required for your application.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Cross Linked Polyethylene (XLPE)
Lightweight, Versatile, Durable: A High Performance Foam Solution
This blog is the second in a new CGR Products content series titled “Material of the Month.” The series will spotlight some of the unique materials and their applications that CGR works with.
High performance material choices can make all the difference in a project. From sheet rubber to open- and closed-cell foam to adhesive solutions, our Material of the Month series will spotlight some of these unique materials and their applications.
For this post, we’ll be featuring cross linked polyethylene. This flexible, closed-cell foam has low water absorption and excellent thermal insulation properties.
The foam material also makes it highly efficient for conversion into various shapes — including Christmas trees and snowflakes, as pictured in the photo!
What is Cross Linked Polyethylene?
XLPE is a smooth, fine-celled foam with exceptional consistency and gauge control. It presents superior physical and chemical properties, including low vapor transmission and water absorption. XLPE is available in many grades.
Benefits and Uses
Foam rubber has cushioning properties to lessen impact and smoothly fill voids and gaps between less flexible materials. Closed-cell foams such as XLPE are especially useful as seals, reducing the flow of gases and other liquids. XLPE is particularly effective in transportation industry watershields, healthcare devices, and industrial cap seals because of its low water absorption.
Other uses of XLPE include:
Instrument panels and door panels for the transportation industry
Medical tape and transdermal drug delivery
Industrial tape and specialized packaging
Appliance and vehicle gaskets
Construction
Military and defense
Sports paddings and new technology
Nontoxic and free of CFC, HCFC, and hydrocarbon blowing agents, XLPE is available for conversion from both seamless rolls and laminated sheets. Each grade of XLPE offers its own unique environmental and physical performance perks — consult one of our materials experts to find the best fit for your project.
Custom Fabrication at CGR
Foam materials are an ideal option for many industries and are a highly efficient material for cutting and conversion work at CGR. Our team can hold standard RMA tolerances to create foam rubber gaskets, sealants, and custom parts.
Our precision die cutting services, including both rotary and flatbed die cutting, as well as knife cutting and waterjet cutting, can deliver extremely precise, ready to use foam components.
For more information on applications using XLPE, or to discuss other industrial foam options for your next project, reach out to a member of our team today.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Acrylic Foam Tapes
VHB Tapes can replace mechanical fasteners, liquid adhesives and more
This blog is the first in a new CGR Products content series titled “Material of the Month.” The series will spotlight some of the unique materials and their applications that CGR works with.
Our first material on the list is acrylic foam tape.
What is acrylic foam tape?
CGR handles and converts a wide range of acrylic foam tapes manufactured by 3M. Very high bond (VHB) tapes can act as a fastener in place of mechanical fasteners, liquid adhesives, and more in certain scenarios.
The closed-cell foam is viscoelastic, utilizing energy-absorbing, and stress-relaxing properties. VHB can also conform to the irregularities of all rigid substrates, even when there might be a slight mismatch, while maintaining high internal strength.
Benefits and Uses
Acrylic foam provides outstanding strength and durability for even the most demanding applications. It offers an instant and permanent bond for both static and dynamic forces in exterior and extreme conditions. The material can absorb shock against wind, vibrations and other high performance stresses.
In tests, the VHB tapes yielded 92% retention of peel adhesion after the roll was aged for more than 5 years at 150°F. Initial tack and liner release properties were still excellent, proving VHB’s ability to tolerate long-term exposure to periodically elevated temperatures.
In addition, the all-acrylic construction of these tapes offers:
Resistance to extreme temperatures, UV light, moisture, and solvents
Sealing against environmental conditions
Prevention against bi-metallic corrosion
Elimination of pull-through, dimpling, and weld distortion
Custom Fabrication at CGR
As a 3M Preferred Converter, the CGR team has years of experience customizing acrylic foam tapes to fit specific shapes, sizes, and profiles for different projects. Our precision die cutting services, including rotary and flatbed die cutting, as well as die-less knife cutting can deliver custom kiss-cut parts on a continuous roll or pad, ready to use.
To access performance data and learn how 3M VHB tape can benefit your application, visit our library of technical data on acrylic foam tapes.
