The Many Applications of Rubber Extrusions

Extrusion is a process whereby a material is forced through a die to create specific shapes for a wide variety of applications. Some of the most materials most commonly used in an extrusion process include aluminum, plastic polymers, and rubber. Here is a quick overview of how the process works along with some common applications for rubber extrusions in particular.

How It Works
Remember the Play-Do factory you played with as a kid? It is probably the simplest way to explain industrial intrusion to a lay person. You would take some Play-Do, put it into a container, and then apply pressure by pushing down on it. Depending on what die shape you placed on your toy, the dough would come out as a long star, a tube, and a host of other choices. Custom rubber extrusions work a lot the same way: a custom die is created according to needed specifications, and then melted rubber is passed through the die to create the desired product.

Some Applications for Rubber Extrusions
--They are used to create trim for interiors of mass transit trains
--Custom extrusions are created for sealing purposes in the Aerospace industry
--They are used as noise-reduction sealants as well as for decorative purposes in modern architectural design
--Extrusions are used to create tubing and other specialized equipment in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.
--The food and dairy industries require custom-created tubing in their production processes, and extrusion helps in this area too.

You probably run across many rubber extrusions all around you during your day and never realized it!