An Introduction to Rubber
Rubber actually finds its way into thousands of products – from car tires to rubber seals and gaskets. At Checkmate we use it in all of our products including when waterproofing vehicles, for our Hovercraft skirts and in our heavy duty dunnage bags.
Rubber originally came from natural sources, but now we have the ability to synthetically manufacture a range of elastomers to provide a range of different properties.
What is rubber?
Rubber is a strong, durable material with flexibility, abrasion resistance and the ability to be deformed and then return to its original shape; this makes it useful across a variety of applications. While there are many types of rubber, they are generally grouped into two main categories: natural rubber and synthetic rubber. Natural rubber is extracted from plants, whereas the other synthetically based rubbers are manufactured by a chemical process.
What is rubber used for at Checkmate?
The unique physical and chemical properties of rubber make it an important engineering material. Here we use as supplied as well as combined with fabric to provide a tough resilient material.
As rubber is strong, elastic, and weatherproof, it is widely used in the manufacture of components within automotive, industrial and commercial industries.
At Checkmate we use our experience and expertise to use highly developed rubber incorporated into our peristaltic hoses, Hovercraft skirts, Dunnage bags, Bladders, Mouldings, and Fabrications.
Some of the types of rubber used at Checkmate
The most common types of rubber used at Checkmate Flexible Engineering include:
Natural rubber: It is strong and resilient, with high abrasion properties ideal for hovercraft skirts, peristaltic hoses and fabrications.
Polychloroprene: This material is ideal for applications subject to weathering and is used in our many marine applications including high pressure seals and couplings used on submarines and naval vessels.
Nitrile rubber: Known for its heat and chemical resistant properties used as the linings for peristaltic hoses and fabrications.
Fluorosilicone rubber (FVMQ): Known for its high resistance to extreme temperatures and chemicals, FVMQ is ideal for use in hoses, mouldings and other specialised applications
Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber: Particularly durable in a range of temperatures and conditions, making it suitable for a range of products.
Butyl rubber: Its high gas impermeability and flexibility makes it an excellent material for our bladders. We have a specially developed version for higher temperatures applications.
Please contact Checkmate Flexible Engineering to discuss this and the full range of other materials we can offer.