Compression Transfer Molding for Rubber Parts
Learn why many Philpott Solutions Group customers specify compression and transfer molding processes for their rubber parts.
Transfer Molding for Complex, Durable Rubber Products
Transfer molding can produce durable, complex parts out of rubber. It’s the go-to solution for countless industries that make everything from bowling lane bumpers to rubber automotive parts.
Philpott is a leading provider of transfer molded rubber products, serving a wide variety of demanding customers. Transfer molding uses a ram to compress often-unheated rubber into a heated transfer mold, thus beginning the vulcanization process while also further compressing the rubber into the mold cavity to eliminate any air pockets. The ram stays in place until the rubber is vulcanized. Once the rubber is cured in the mold, the parts are ejected from the mold and trimmed, and the cycle begins again.
Transfer molding is ideal for bonding rubber and metal parts together and works well on small to moderate volume jobs due to its longer process cycle times compared with injection molding. Combining the design flexibility of injection molding and the straightforward reliability of compression molding, transfer molding handles tough jobs with ease.
Compression Molding Tackles Complicated Jobs
Philpott’s compression molding capabilities enable it to produce custom rubber molded parts with complex designs and shapes. Compared with transfer molding, compression molding does not require a transfer mold, and the rubber is heated before the part is formed between the upper and lower platens. The part is then cured in the mold and removed for trimming or further processing. Compression molding is cost-effective and does not typically generate high levels of material waste. In addition to slower processing times, one comparative drawback with compression molding is that it cannot typically produce the intricately shaped parts possible with other technologies like transfer molding or injection molding.
Which Will Work Best for You?
Deciding which molding process will best suit your needs will require an understanding of the cost levels budgeted, the part volumes needed, the intricacy of the proposed designs, and the timing of the project in question. Philpott has over a century of experience helping customers work through these decisions and delivering the products they need with the quality, cost, and timing they expect.
Contact us to learn how Philpott Solutions can deliver high-volume, high-quality custom rubber parts.