Rubber deflashing is the process of removing excess rubber known as flash from the surfaces and edges of molded parts. During rubber injection molding, flash is caused by parting line mismatches, improper venting, inadequate clamping pressure, excessively low viscosity, or poor sprue bushing support. Tooling and processing issues can also cause mold flash during injection molding, compression molding, or transfer molding. Unless the mold flash is properly removed, the consequences can range from cosmetic defects to sealing or assembly issues.
Today, rubber deflashing is faster, easier, and more consistent than ever thanks to Nitrofreeze® Cryogenic Solutions. Contact us to discuss rubber part deflashing for your application or keep reading to learn how our process works and the types of rubber materials and products that we can deflash for you. This YouTube deflashing video shows our patented process, which is trusted by medical molders, aerospace molders, and quality-driven rubber molders that serve many other demanding industries.
Cryogenic Deflashing vs. Hand Trimming for Molded Rubber Parts
Nitrofreeze® cryogenic deflashing is a computer-controlled, automated process that uses gaseous nitrogen to freeze molded rubber parts so that the flash becomes brittle and easy to remove. Batches of your parts are then blasted with non-abrasive polycarbonate media that comes in different lengths and diameters to allow processing without impacting critical tolerances or surface finishes. This process is especially efficient at removing flash from part geometries that are hard to reach with hand tools.
Rubber molders can remove flash by hand instead, but manual trimming is tedious and time-consuming. It can also result in inconsistencies between parts and cause hand injuries resulting in workman’s compensation claims. Plus, even the fastest and most skilled workers can deflash only one part at a time. By contrast, Nitrofreeze® defines and stores the optimal process parameters for parts deflashing and can provide repeatable results with each order that you send to us. Through sampling, we are also able to measure the dimensions of your parts before and after deflashing if needed.
Rubber Parts Deflashing for Commodity and Specialty Elastomers
Use Nitrofreeze® cryogenic deflashing for molded rubber parts made of these and other elastomers. We can also deflash rubber-to-metal bonded assemblies such as vibration mounts.
Molded Rubber Material | Examples of Molded Parts |
Butyl | Gas-resistant seals and gaskets, medical products, sporting goods, and electrical components |
EPDM | Automotive parts, weather-resistant seals and gaskets, electrical insulation, marine applications |
Neoprene | Protective gear, waterproof gaskets and seals, laptop sleeves and cases, industrial hoses, orthopedic supports |
Nitrile (NBR, Buna-N) | Grommets, gaskets, seals, hoses, tubes, and other molded rubber parts that resist contact with fuels |
Polyurethane | Impact-resistant bumpers, bushings, rollers, casters, wheels, cams, and furniture components |
Silicone | Blocks, bumper stops, distal handles, O-rings, gaskets, housings, overmolded springs |
Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) | Medical devices, infant care products, automotive components, appliance parts, consumer goods, and textiles |
Urethane | Abrasion-resistant seals and gaskets, wheels and rollers, bumpers and shock absorbers, electrical components, medical devices |
Viton® | Oil seals, gaskets, hoses and O-rings |
Choose Cryogenic Deflashing for Molded Rubber Parts
Do you mold high volumes of rubber parts? Do you need to remove flash from cross holes, blind holes, or other hard-to-reach part features? Ask the experts at Nitrofreeze® to review your rubber deflashing requirements. If your molded part is a viable candidate for our process, we can perform sampling and share the results with you. The consultation is free of charge, so contact us at the phone number and email below to get started.
(508) 459-7447 x 105 | info@nitrofreeze.com