Choosing The Right Rubber Supplier: What to Look For

Sourcing rubber components, especially custom ones, can be a serious challenge. You need a supplier that will provide exactly the rubber components you need at a competitive price. You need the components to work efficiently, to be durable and long-lasting, and you need the supplier to be reliable, with transparent pricing and good communication.

Choosing the wrong supplier can result in low quality components that are unsuitable for your needs, delivery delays and additional costs that you do not expect. These can cause projects to fail and can compromise your business so a correct choice is essential. The right supplier will work with you as a true partner and will help you develop your products and your business.

What you Need to Know Before Choosing a Rubber Supplier

Before starting on the selection process, it is important to know exactly what you need from your supplier. Assess the products and processes for which you are likely to need rubber components. In particular, determine the characteristics needed for those components — whether they need to be hard or flexible, how durable they have to be and whether they need to be able to withstand particular conditions such as extreme temperatures, high pressure or water, or will be exposed to harsh chemicals.

The conditions for your rubber components will determine what they need to be made from. Typical materials and their features include:

• Natural rubber that is harvested as latex and is very resilient, has a high elongation ratio and is resistant to water.
• EPDM is a synthetic compound that is an electrical insulator and is extremely resistant to weather, steam, UV rays and heat.
• Nitrile (or NBR) is resistant to oil and various solvents, and can have low temperature flexibility.
• HNBR has a very high temperature rating and retains its physical strength even when exposed to oil, chemicals and heat for long periods, making it suitable for industrial use and rubber products for automotive applications.
• Silicone has good resistance to UV rays and can resist extreme temperature ranges, typically between -100⁰C and +300⁰C.
• Neoprene has excellent flexibility across a wide temperature range, has good chemical stability and is resistant to degradation.

The method of component manufacture is also significant and there are several main types:

• Injection moulding services in Australia are often used for high-volume manufacturing due to fast production times and cost-effectiveness, although moulds and tooling can be quite expensive. Rubber is pre-heated and injected into a mould where it is allowed to set hard.
• Extrusion feeds an uncured rubber compound into a die that shapes it as required. The compound is then forced under pressure through the extruder’s opening and is allowed to cool. The process can produce high volumes at low production cost.
• Compression moulding is one of the common processes used to create rubber mouldings, where uncured rubber is placed into a mould cavity and shaped. It requires heating that can take anything from a few minutes to several hours depending on thickness. It is a time-consuming process but is suitable for rubber compounds with large surface areas.

• Transfer moulding has uncured rubber loaded into a mould where it is pushed into cavities. Pre-heating makes the rubber flow better and reduces curing time although the moulds can be expensive.

Choosing the Most Suitable Rubber Compound

Once you know what you need and the likely means of attaining it, you are in a position to select an appropriate supplier. Ideally, choose one that has required attributes:

• The ability to undertake most or all of the production methods so that the most suitable one can be used. If so, establish likely tooling and production lead times as well as manufacturing capability and capacity so you know if your components are likely to be produced quickly enough.
• The range of materials that are available and if they are formulated in-house, with additives for specific purposes.
• If minimum order quantities are imposed or if prototypes can be supplied in small quantities and then adapted for development purposes.
• If the company undertakes everything in-house — design, tooling and manufacturing — or is some part of the process outsourced. For the latter, establish the length of time other companies have been used.
• The dependability of the company’s supply chain so that delays in obtaining materials and parts do not adversely affect your business.
• What level of quality control is used. In particular, look for ISO 9001 accreditation or similar, which shows that a proper quality management system is in place and is independently regulated to ensure continuing high standards.
• The level of transparency employed in pricing and dealing with customers. You want a company that is totally open, providing a full breakdown of pricing at all times with no unexpected add-ons.
• How well the company communicates with its customers. Prompt responses and comprehensive information will prevent misunderstandings, minimise delays, avoid problems and help to build trust between the parties.

Making the Final Choice

When choosing a rubber supplier, it is best to consider at least three candidates so you can compare properly. Looking at too many will cause confusion while too few may lead to a poor choice. The way they respond to your questions will give you a good idea of the type of business and whether you will be able to work well with the people in the future. After all, what you are seeking is a long-term relationship that benefits both companies.

Your rubber supplier will work in partnership with you, being involved in product development and advising you on the best choices for materials and methods. Getting the right supplier is crucial for your business so you need to use a company that you can trust. Price is a consideration but should not be the most important factor because many other elements have greater significance.

At Gulf Rubber, we have the experience, the knowledge and the ability to create rubber components that meet your exact needs and at a very competitive price. Just as importantly, we really want to help your company to succeed by supplying components that do what you want. To include us in your selection process, get in touch today.