Cold Bonding for Custom Gaskets

Cold Bonding vs. Hot Splicing

Cold bonding joins cut-lengths together with a glue that does not require the application of heat for curing or hardening. In other words, cold bonding occurs at ambient temperatures instead of at high-temperatures. In indoor, climate-controlled environments, ambient temperature is generally the same as room temperature. With “hot” splicing, cut lengths of rubber are joined together in a heated mold, a type of tooling that’s custom-made for the rubber part.

Cold bonding is less expensive than “hot” joining techniques because there are no tooling costs. Used mainly for low-volume applications, cold bonding can produce two-sided profiles and create precise, angled parts that are difficult to splice with other methods. Although cold splicing can be used with corners that include odd angles, this joining technique is best-suited for custom gaskets that won’t be exposed to high temperatures or outdoor environments. Of course, not all seals face such conditions.

Gasket Cutting and Gluing Gaskets

Cold bonding is ideal for miter corners, a term that’s familiar to woodworkers but also applicable to rubber gaskets. Miter joints are formed by joining lengths with angled cuts so that they form a corner, usually a 90° angle. Often (but not always), each miter cut has a complementary angle of 45°. Gasket fabricators use different cutting techniques, but water jet cutting creates fast, clean cuts that are easier to bond than the beveled edges produced with guillotine cutting, which uses a metal blade.

After cutting, cold-bonded gaskets are assembled by skilled production personnel. For a gasket buyer, gluing cut lengths together on-site can be time-consuming and even result in material waste. Although cold bonding does not require special tooling, the quality of hand-assembled parts matters. That’s why Elasto Proxy supplies cold-bonded gaskets that are precision-cut with our water jet machine, glued by our experienced personnel, and then shipped to you so that your custom gaskets are ready-to-install.

Do You Need Bonded Gaskets?

Bonded gaskets speed production by eliminating the need to tighten screws or perform time-consuming cutting and joining operations on your assembly line. Elasto Proxy can supply your gluing gaskets in limited quantities at first, and then increase deliveries as your production scales-up. We keep hundreds of rubber profiles in stock, and offer quick turn-around times to meet demanding production schedules.

Elasto Proxy’s application knowledge and technical expertise also means that we can handle a variety of seal shapes and sizes, including custom bulb seals and D-seals. Our solutions providers can also help you to select rubber materials that meet your requirements for performance and cost. Contact us for more information, and enjoy this short video about cold bonding for custom gaskets.