Customized Rubber Parts in the Food and Beverage Industry: Compliance and Safety Standards |

Retailed as individual parts, custom rubber parts have extensive-reaching use in different industries, and thus, the performance and durability of custom rubber parts directly impacts the reliability and service life of the end product. To achieve optimal operational performance for customized rubber components, the design thus involves a number of considerations including material choice, structure design, process feasibility and environment of application. This paper will systematically explain from the aspects of design process, material selection, structural optimization, manufacturing process considerations and performance verification, how to design custom rubber parts to get the best performance and durability.

First determine clear design objectives and requirements, establish the design process framework

Before the design of customized rubber parts, it is necessary to determine the design objectives and specific needs, that is, the premise of all subsequent design activities.

1.1 Clear performance indicators: detailed definition of rubber parts need to meet the performance indicators, such as: tensile strength, elongation, hardness, temperature range, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, compression permanent deformation, etc., the quantification of these indicators is conducive to the next step of materials selection and structural design.

1.2 Precise use environment: The application environment of rubber parts is analyzed in detail, including: working temperature, humidity, contact medium (such as oil, acid and alkali), force conditions (such as stretching, compression, shear), vibration frequency. Using these environmental factors, the load that a component could be subjected to and the failure mode that could occur can be determined.

1.3 Determining the framework of the design：Establish a clear design process,including: conceptual design, preliminary design, detailed design, simulation analysis, design verification and other stages. For an orderly design process, you should outline goals and deliverables for each stage.

Second, choose materials for the specific application scenario

Choosing the right material is a crucial part of designing custom rubber components, primarily because it determines the performance and lifespan of the parts.

Extract meaningful factors for material selection: according to performance index requirements and environmental conditions of rubber parts use, the selection of suitable rubber materials. Main performance indicators: mechanical properties, heat resistance, cold resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, aging and the like. The processing performance, cost and environmental protection of the material should also be considered at the same time.

Commonly used rubber materials 2.2 Characteristics rubber material characteristics First, it is important to understand the characteristics of commonly used rubber materials. Natural rubber (NR) has excellent elasticity so that it will be used with high rebound; Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) has good oil resistance, so put in contact with oil environment; Silicone rubber (VMQ) has good high and low temperature resistance, which is suitable for extreme temperature environment. Fluororubber (FKM) has outstanding chemical resistance and is used in corrosive media environments.

2.3 Characteristic enhancement modification strategy rubbers are to improve their performance for a certain specific needs, or modification. Such as after adding carbon black can enhance the strength and wear-resistance of rubber; After adding silane coupling agent can enhance the interface bonding of rubber and filler. Antioxidants are used to enhance rubber's aging resistance.

Third,controvert structure design, the precipitation increase bearing capacity and durability

Appropriate structural design could allow for more reasonable distribution of stress and improved load capacity and service life of rubber parts.

3.1 Geometric shape optimization: Analyze the stress state, optimize the geometry of the parts to avoid stress concentration. E.g. the rounded corner transition in corners is used to avoid the stress concentration produced by sharp corners; Through the reasonable design of the stiffened plate, it is possible to improve the stiffness and strength of the components.

3.2 Increasing thickness distribution: Optimize the thickness distribution of the parts, and the area where the force is larger and the thickness is proportionally larger, in order to improve the bearing capacity of the bearing. Asking Formation process and sleeving are adjustable, you can increase the thickness of the sealing ring lip or reduce the lip angle, increase the sealing performance of the sealing ring, make its performance better.

3.3 Pre-compression and pre-tension design: Subject to certain application backgrounds, the design of components with pre-compression or pre-tension can be performed to improve the stress state of the components. A good example is with the installation of the O-ring, proper pre-compression will increase its sealing performance.

Process planning to guarantee both manufacturability and quality

It is essential to fully consider the manufacturing process at the design stage such that the process complexity does not lead to processing difficulty or difficulty with quality assurance.

4.1 Design of mold structure: Understand the structure of the mold and working principle, design a reasonable mold structure, so that rubber parts can be demoulded successfully. For example: make a reasonable parting surface (avoid backdrops and sharp angles) Set the appropriate exhaust hole (avoid bubbles).

4.2 Determination of molding process parameters: Optimizing the molding process parameters of rubber parts, such as vulcanization temperature, vulcanization time, pressure, etc., in the design. Thicker rubber parts need to be drilled thin and vulcanized for a long time to ensure complete vulcanization.

4.3 Quality inspection standard setting: To formulate the quality inspection standard of rubber parts, including geometric dimension tolerance of parts, appearance defects, functional performance indicators, etc., to ensure that the produced parts can meet the design requirements.

Verification of the design scheme through simulation analysis and performance testing

So the design has to be confirmed by simulated analysis and perform testing to ensure the reliability of the design scheme.

Simulation Analysis (5.1) The finite element analysis software is used to carry out stress analysis, deformation analysis and fatigue analysis of rubber parts, evaluate their performance under actual working condition, optimize the production. As an analogy, rubber components which are subjected to cyclic loads are assessed using fatigue analysis to ascertain their life.

5.2 Performance test: Conduct various performance tests, such as tensile test, compression test, wear test, aging test, etc. (according to design requirements and use environment), to check whether its performance meets the design requirements.

5.3 Design iteration and optimization: According to the analysis and result of simulation and performance test, the design scheme shall be iterated and optimized continuously until all the performance indexes and durability requirements are met.

Vi. Conclusion

Custom rubber parts design is a complex and sensitive process that requires thinking about the selection of materials, structure and design feasibility, as well as the application environment. Only through the scientific design process and fully using simulation analysis and performance tests can we design custom rubber parts with excellent performance and durability, and improve product reliability and service life, reduce product maintenance costs, and improve comprehensive competitiveness.