Safety Critical Technical Sealing Products
How our Rubber Components can help you
As a supplier of precision engineered safety critical Technical Sealing Products we offer a high level of engineering support to ensure that the right material option is selected for the industry and application.
We engage with our customers in a variety of ways, from onsite technical support and advice to product design and training. Our expertise in engineering solutions that are practical, effective and efficient is widely recognised by our customers across the world.
Flemings Performance Engineering continues to invest in the development of new materials and manufacturing solutions to offer innovative solutions that ensure our materials, seals, mouldings and extrusions meet the key market needs with excellent chemical resistance, long service life and performance that guarantees the integrity and reproducibility of your product.
Rubber Mouldings
We offer expertise in high quality rubber mouldings using Compression and Injection moulding technology in low, medium and high volumes. Working with all elastomers and in almost every application and industry.
Compression
Benefits from lower cost tooling for low volume, bulky and low-tech components.
Injection
For high volume, small and repeatable items where minimal variation is required.
We also have experience in rubber to metal bonding work and have capabilities to produce single shot products up to 26 kilos with large profiles or height requirements.
Rubber Extrusions
Extrusions come in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials from basic round and square sections used to produce air seals in cabinets and low pressure units through to intricate profiles suitable for high integrity environments such as submarine sections and pharmaceutical vacuum chambers.
Our capabilities extend to large sections up to 500mm x 300mm for high energy, high load applications and fabrication of extrusions into seals with heat vulcanised joints for maximum performance in any environment.
Whether you requirement is for 10mtr or 10,000mtr we have the manufacturing capabilities to suit and can offer rapid manufacture when required.
Our material range is as extensive as our profiles with Viton A, HNBR, and Fluorosilicone at the top end to more common EPDM, Nitrile and Neoprene at the other.
General Rubber Properties
| Rubber Type | Common Abbreviation | Key Strengths | Key Limitations | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Rubber | NR | Excellent wear and abrasion resistance; high resilience and elasticity; good loadbearing performance | Poor resistance to oils, fuels, ozone, UV, unless specially compounded. | Bridge bearings, impact pads, shotblast liners, marine seals |
| Styrene Butadiene Rubber | SBR | Good abrasion resistance; costeffective. | Limited resistance to oils, ozone, and weathering | Generalpurpose gasketing, lowduty sealing applications |
| Neoprene (Chloroprene Rubber) | CR | Good weathering, ozone, and moderate oil resistance; balanced mechanical properties | Lower resistance to strong oils and high temperatures compared with NBR / FKM | Outdoor seals, vibration pads, general industrial gasketing |
| Nitrile Rubber | NBR | Excellent resistance to oils, fuels, and greases; good abrasion resistance | Limited ozone and weather resistance unless specially compounded | Oil seals, fuel system gaskets, industrial sealing |
| EPDM Rubber | EPDM | Outstanding weathering, ozone, and water resistance; good heat resistance | Poor oil and fuel resistance | Outdoor applications, water systems, roofing, automotive coolant seals |
| Butyl Rubber | IIR | Very low gas permeability; good chemical and weather resistance | Poor resistance to petroleum oils and fuels | Air retention products, tank liners, sealing membranes |
| Silicone Rubber | VMQ | Exceptional high and lowtemperature performance; good electrical properties; foodsafe options | Lower tensile and tear strength; higher cost | Food & pharmaceutical seals, hightemperature environments |
| Viton® / Fluoroelastomer | FKM / FPM | Superior resistance to fuels, oils, chemicals, and high temperatures | High material cost; reduced lowtemperature flexibility | Chemical processing, aerospace, oil & gas |
Rubber Overview
| Rubber Type | Abbreviation | Typical Temperature Range (°C) | Key Strengths | Key Limitations | Oil & Fuel Resistance | Water / Steam Resistance | Weather / Ozone / UV Resistance | Acid / Alkali Resistance | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Rubber (NR) | NR | -40 to +80 | Excellent wear, resilience[cite: 2] | Poor oil/ozone resistance[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Excellent (water)[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Good (dilute)[cite: 2] | Bridge bearings, impact pads[cite: 2] |
| Styrene Butadiene Rubber | SBR | -30 to +80 | Cost-effective, abrasion resistance[cite: 2] | Poor weather & oil resistance[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Poor-Fair[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | General purpose gasketing[cite: 2] |
| Neoprene | CR | -30 to +100 | Balanced mechanical & weather resistance[cite: 2] | Limited oil resistance[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Outdoor seals, marine[cite: 2] |
| Nitrile Rubber | NBR | -20 to +100 | Excellent oil & fuel resistance[cite: 2] | Poor ozone resistance[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Oil & fuel gaskets[cite: 2] |
| EPDM Rubber | EPDM | -40 to +130 | Excellent weather, ozone, steam[cite: 2] | Poor oil resistance[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Water systems, roofing[cite: 2] |
| Butyl Rubber | IIR | -40 to +120 | Low gas permeability[cite: 2] | Poor oil resistance[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Very Good[cite: 2] | Tank linings, membranes[cite: 2] |
| Silicone Rubber | VMQ | -60 to +200 | Extreme temp resistance, food safe[cite: 2] | Low tear strength[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Food & pharma seals[cite: 2] |
| Viton / FKM | FKM | -20 to +230 | Chemical & heat resistance[cite: 2] | High cost[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Excellent[cite: 2] | Chemical processing[cite: 2] |
| NR/SBR Blend | NR/SBR | -30 to +80 | Cost-effective hybrid[cite: 2] | Limited chemical resistance[cite: 2] | Poor[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | General gasketing[cite: 2] |
| CR/SBR or NBR/SBR Blend | Blends | -25 to +90 | Balanced low-cost sealing[cite: 2] | Reduced performance vs pure[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Good[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Fair[cite: 2] | Low-technology sealing[cite: 2] |