CAD Files
Send your CAD files direct to us – preferably in 1:1 scale, and we can cut or produce tooling direct from your drawings! We can also use these to quote against – or if you do not have drawings, we’ll be happy to create CAD files for you.
From Ultra-Thin to Super-Thick
While EAS cuts rubber gaskets using conventional presses – we also specialise in making parts in the extremes of rubber materials. Often this can mean specialised materials, manufactured to particular grades. We regularly produce parts in ultra-thin materials – such as medical grade silicones. At the other end of the spectrum we also cut ultra-thick materials for industries such as quarrying and mining.
From 0.2mm thick
Specialist rubber materials as thin as 0.2mm (0.008″) can be cut. To achieve ultra-fine tolerances in these materials we often use pure water cutting. For industry standard cutting tolerances of ±0.2mm or more, ribbon steel cutters are used.
To 100mm or more!
We regularly cut rubber gaskets in 50mm thickness and have also cut 75mm and 100mm solid rubbers. Milling equipment may be used, however abrasive water jet cutting with zero kerf is often the most economic method.
Rubber Gaskets – without tooling
For low quantities of gaskets, we are able to produce parts using various tool-less CAD-CAM machines.
We select the correct method and equipment to ensure your product is compliant.
Soft rubbers for instance, are difficult to produce using CAD run ‘drag-knife’ or oscillating knife machines . These materials can be stretched during cutting – irrespective of the amount of vacuum used to hold it in place. Here we may revert to rotary cutting for circular parts, or plain water-jet cutting.
Our ‘auto-knife’ machines can cut solid rubber materials up to 30mm thick in one pass quite easily.
Thicker materials can be cut but need multiple passes or switched to water-jet.
Hydraulic Presses
EAS run presses between 10tonnes and 100tonnes pressure, so can cope with even the toughest rubber belting materials for instance.
Smaller ‘swing-beam’ presses are used for short runs of parts. CNC machines are now used for heavier materials, being faster, more accurate and requiring no tooling.
Automatic ‘travelling head’ presses come into play for all volumes of parts up to 700mm x 700mm and 12mm thick. These ‘smart’ machines rely on CAD to nest products, not only to reduce material waste and optimise yield, but also to calculate the fastest movement and stroke rates. All this ensures parts produced are made as economically as possible and comply with our ‘green’ policy – and most importantly – offer you the customer, the best prices!
Quick Quotes
Emailed enquiries for rubber gaskets are normally quoted within 15 minutes on standard stock materials and production of parts can be same day or next day for those extra-urgent jobs!
Email sales@easeals.co.uk
Rubber Materials
Stocks of rubber sheet and roll materials at EAS includes all commercial grades of Natural, Neoprene, Nitrile, EPDM along with specific qualities. These include Shotblast (Para or Gum Rubber), Specification grades such as BS2751 Nitrile and BS2752 Neoprene and FDA approved materials for Food and Drugs applications.
Other materials such as Silicones, Fluoroelastomers (Viton®), Fluorosilicones, Hypalon, Butyl, Santoprene, Polyurethanes, Fabric reinforced ‘insertion’ and beltings are also available.
With connections back to the mid 1970’s with many major manufacturers around the World, we are also able to source most materials not normally stocked for todays ‘just in time’ requirements. These naturally often need time to produce – however we are more than happy to arrange to stock ‘specials’ for customer call-off.
Recycling Rubber
We always aim to optimise the use of all materials and keep waste to a minimum.
To this end, we use complicated nesting software both to design tooling, but also when cutting parts. This ensures parts are cut as closely as possible, and even cut inside either.
Inevitably, there is some waste – often just the ‘skeleton’. This material still has it’s uses – for many years we have shredded and granulated our waste rubber for use in road surfacing or for use in rubber matting – typically used in playgrounds or sports surfaces.
Minimal Waste
Here’s the remains of a ‘first cut’ on a 1.4mt x 10mt roll of 1.5mm EPDM.
The remaining usable pieces are the end of the roll, and the two narrow edges. To ensure full utilisation, these pieces are also used to cut simple washers. The roll originally weighed 29.8kgs when we started cutting, the final skeleton waste weighed just 1.1kgs – or 3.7% – and even that will now be ground up and recycled!
