Rubber injection molding/engineering

[steelguy9]

Hello everyone,

I'm designing a product that will need a part molded out of an elastic rubber. This is my first attempt and I was hoping to pick your brains a bit. The part will be cylinder shaped, approximately 4" in length and 4" in diameter at both ends. A roughly 3/4"-1" section in the middle will be a smaller diameter (approx. 2"). The part is shaped similar to an hourglass.

The rubber part will be housed in a plastic tube. The 2" diameter section in the middle should have the ability to expand to approx. 3.75" in diameter when roughly 8-12lbs of pressure is applied (this is an estimate). The purpose of the part is to be elastic enough to expand to fit objects varying from 2"-3.75" in diameter, while still applying enough pressure to the object to keep it from sliding.

I know very little about rubber in general and was hoping to determine the following:

1. Does the elasticity of the rubber and general purpose of the piece sound achievable?
2. Any recommendations on a good shop that would be able to help with the engineering/manufacturing of the part?

Thanks!

[brentb]

1. Yes
2 I think you mean thermoplastic rubber (TPR). Contact GLS corp (GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers - PolyOne), they can help you.
Many people call TPR Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)

KOM

brent