Vulcanized rubber has all the features that make it ideal for industrial use. As we examine its various uses, it will become increasingly apparent how important the material is for powering our modern businesses. Now let’s take a look at their application areas.
Vibration Damping
Vibration damping is the industrial process that reduces the amount of vibration generated by machinery. This is important to ensure sensitive goods are not tossed about by the vibration caused by heavy machinery.The dampers absorb the energy themselves instead of transferring it to the goods.
Given the task, vulcanized rubber is ideal. It has the elasticity needed to absorb the vibrations, but also the tensile strength to carry heavy items and resist machinery’s heat over long stretches of time.
A wide range of industries, including massive ones like aerospace and automobile manufacturing, rely upon vulcanized rubber as vibration dampers during their manufacturing process.
Conveyor Belts
Can we imagine our modern world today without conveyor belts endlessly churning out an ever-growing range of products in factories around the world? Depending on their use case, vulcanized rubber is a critical component in ensuring their seamless operations.
Specifically, one of the most important parts of the conveyor belt, the splice, which joins two sections of a conveyor belt together, can be made using vulcanized rubber. Not only is this a strong and resilient material for joining the belt together, but it also helps keep foreign objects from creeping into the belt’s joint and disrupting operations.
As a result, conveyor belts continue to run smoothly and the wheels of industry remain on track to success!
Industrial Seals
Gone are the days when factories where run by an army of workers and analogue machines. Today, cutting-edge factories rely upon high-tech machines to manufacture goods at unprecedented speeds.
But in order for these machines to work, they need all kinds of liquids, oils and lubricants to flow through passages and pipes inside them seamlessly. For that to happen, these passages have to be lined with a seal or band on their mating surfaces to prevent any leaks or spills that could jeopardize the expensive machinery itself.
Seals made of vulcanized rubber are one excellent solution for this task. They are all-encompassing around the passageways; their elasticity allows them to mold perfectly to them and eliminate any opportunity for a fluid or gas to slip through.
Moreover, they are also resistant to absorbing any fluid, including oils and solvents, and can withstand the high temperatures some of these fluids can have as they flow through the pipes. Thanks to these qualities, you will find seals made of vulcanized rubber in industrial machinery and cylinders.
Rubber-Lined Tanks
Many factories, especially those producing chemicals, medicines, or fuels, rely on massive liquid storage facilities. Often, these tanks have to hold highly sensitive and volatile substances. As such, regular tanks would be inadequate for them as these industrial liquids might cause them to corrode. Not only would the tanks need to be replaced quickly, which would be a burdensome expense, but it could also be a significant safety hazard.
Therefore, many of the most volatile liquids are held in tanks lined with vulcanized rubber. The materials aforementioned liquid repelling means no fluid can seep through it to harm the tank underneath. Plus, its anti-oxidant properties mean it is even resilient to corrosion from acidic solvents.
Rubber Hoses and Rubber-Lined Pipes
If vulcanized rubber is perfect for storing volatile industrial fluids in rubber-lined tanks and forming seals around the various pipes transmitting said fluids, then it is naturally a good material for making industrial hoses and pipes, too.
Factory machines that transmit volatile fluids in their manufacturing process, whether they be chemicals, solvents, or lubricants, need durable pipes that can resist the liquids’ corrosive properties. Vulcanized rubber is the perfect material for the hoses dedicated for this task as it can easily withstand the fluids’ harmful effects. Some pipes that are internally lined with vulcanized rubber can also deliver similar results.
Conclusion
Clearly, vulcanized rubber is the backbone of our modern businesses and industry. This unassuming but strong material is responsible for helping create the products we use and consume, as well as delivering it to us.
Demonstrably, vulcanized rubber is the best material for all kinds of industrial applications, from industrial seals to vibration dampers. In fact, we may not realize it, but without it, we cannot have the modern world around us.
