A new customer came to us with a design in mind for a new lighting enclosure. It was to be situated outside and needed the two mating surfaces sealed against any water and moisture penetration. RH Nuttall were on hand to not only suggest the best material for the application, but also to make the bespoke tooling and manufacture the gaskets in question. Suffice to say, the client was extremely pleased with the results. From point of contact we managed to produce all of this, and 3,000 gaskets, within a three day lead time!! A cost effective solution to a multi thousand pound product.
With varying weather conditions a main factor in the design, we opted for a closed cell medium grade of neoprene sponge for the gasket to be manufactured from. Not only does the base material have the compression to form a perfect seal when the two parts are clamped together, it is also made with a closed cell structure meaning once in place, nothing will leak through into the expensive component. As the enclosure was to be situated outdoors, our dedicated design team utilized the outstanding aging properties of neoprene sponge, meaning the seal will not go brittle over time and hold its sealing attributes for a long period; the secret to a successful product.
We can provide Neoprene Sponge Gaskets in any shape or size
In addition, neoprene sponge gaskets have a good resistance to UV and sunlight, and therefore an all-round winner for this particular application.
Our customer was quite amazed at how detailed we could make the gasket in question, with cut outs and notches to allow for screws, indents and fixing points. As we explained to our new client, RH Nuttall can produce to almost any shape, size or thickness of neoprene sponge gasket required. All our products are manufactured in house in our Birmingham based branch, and we have invested heavily in new modern state of the art machinery to enable us to do this. Moreover they were impressed with our new modern facilities, allowing them to speak directly to our design team in our new meeting room, and then be shown the materials in our stores to make a good selection. Not only are we a stockist of the raw material, but we manufacture the parts too. A family run business with a “can do” approach.
Thickness of the gasket was of paramount importance to the design. Our neoprene sponge gaskets can be produced in a range of thicknesses from 1mm right up to 30mm depending on the job in hand. Thickness and density of neoprene sponge play a crucial part in the initial design process stage. “Right first time” has always been our view point on any part, and allowing the customer direct access to our stores allowed him to have an input on the material we had suggested.
Perfect for sealing air, water and more
Our design team selected a standard 3mm thickness medium density neoprene sponge gasket for this particular gasket, meaning that it fitted perfectly into the design, but allowed for compression upon the two surfaces being clamped together, thus forming a perfect seal that was impermeable to air and water. Custom made wood forming tools was manufactured within 24 hours to mimic the recess in the plastic moulding. At a relatively minimal cost to the design, a perfect shape was able to be pressed out on our automatic travelling head machines, and be fitted directly into the female part of the enclosure.
Wrapping Up
In addition to all of the qualities listed above, our range of neoprene sponge gaskets also deaden any vibration in the design, meaning those annoying little rattles are nowhere to be heard. Yet again, RH Nuttall came to the aid of a new customer in need of a bespoke design of neoprene sponge gasket, and produced a water tight seal in a super-fast time, and all at a relatively low cost. The customer has gone away extremely happy, and with the launch of their new website has already had enquiries for more enclosures, meaning more gaskets for us! Happy days!
