Die Cut Silicone Rubber Gaskets for Fast Order Completion

Did you know that silicone rubber gaskets are made using dies? In this article, we’re going to explain how a die works and how it is used. We’ll also find out how they ensure faster production of gaskets of all shapes and sizes.

What is a die?

You’ve heard the term, ‘the die is cast.’ This refers to beginning a process that we cannot stop by any means. For example, if we pushed a snowball down a hill, we wouldn’t be able to stop it gathering pace and getting larger and more dangerous as it went. We might say the die is cast when watching it, because we know we can do nothing to stop it.

Of course, in terms of a die used to make silicone rubber gaskets, we’re referring to the fact that once a die is made, it retains its shape. We can use it multiple times and never experience any changes to it. This is a positive thing when we need to create many identical items, as we wouldn’t want to see any differences between them.

How do dies help with gasket production?

Before a silicone rubber gasket can roll off the production line, we need a die to help us create it. This may mean using a standard die if the gasket is a standard off-the-shelf one. This is faster because the die already exists, so all we need to do is to find the die and begin production.

Of course, in some cases, a standard gasket design won’t suffice. In this example, we would need to receive size and design requirements, so that we can produce a die to create the unique gasket. Once we know it works and the gasket fits the customer’s requirements, we can begin full-scale production.

One die can be repeatedly used to speed up production

Regardless of how we reach the full production stage, whether it’s with a standard or bespoke die, we can now see how efficient it is to create hundreds if not thousands of gaskets in a short period. Once the die is set in place in the machinery, we can create the gaskets by feeding a sheet of silicone rubber through the machine.

We can select one of many types of silicone rubber sheeting for this task. For example, the gasket may need to be heat resistant, oil resistant, or even both. It may need to be medical grade. By selecting the correct sheeting with the most relevant properties, the process can then begin.

The other advantage of die cutting is that various runs of gaskets can easily be produced. This may mean a few dozen for a trial run of a new product or a much larger run consisting of thousands of gaskets. It’s all possible once the die is ready for use. Even though a bespoke die may be required for certain jobs, it is then retained for future runs of that same part.