Gasket and Washer Manufacturing Techniques

At CB Frost, we pride ourselves on our extensive in-house gasket manufacturing capabilities. Working in highly competitive industrial sectors, it’s vital that we can manufacture products from an extremely versatile range of materials, including rubber and silicone, sponge and foam materials, and cork. Using a range of different manufacturing processes, we can create products to meet customer requirements exactly.

We keep many different materials in stock at all times in roll or sheet form. This allows us to create products such as gaskets and washers in very short times, helping to ensure that our customers meet lead times. At CB Frost, we use three main techniques to produce gaskets and washers from sheet materials, depending on the material used, the volume required and the complexity of the design requirements:

Hand cut gaskets

Hand cutting is a manual process where a highly skilled craftsman uses specialist tools to cut the required shapes out of sheet material. Hand cut gaskets are widely chosen for prototype or test parts, or for small volume gasket or washer requirements. In many cases, if the customer is happy with a prototype or test part, we will then manufacture in larger volumes using a different cutting technique, as hand cutting is no longer practical.

Kiss cut gaskets

Kiss cutting is a method of die cutting that is commonly used for cutting adhesive backed gaskets or washers in large volumes.

• A kiss cutting press cuts a light impression into adhesive backed sheet material, but not through the backing materials
• A number of different materials are suitable for the kiss cutting technique, including rubber, solid silicone and sponge sheet materials
• Kiss cut gaskets and washers can be supplied in roll form in high volumes – the impressions are cut into a roll of material and are therefore available on a continuous release liner when the parts are needed

Water jet cut gaskets

The water jet cutting technique uses an extremely high pressure jet of water to cut through materials. For harder materials, an abrasive substance can be mixed in with the water.

• Water jetting is often used to manufacture gaskets and washers from thicker materials that cannot be effectively hand cut or kiss cut
• Water jet cutting is also ideal for cutting more complex gaskets, where the design is very intricate or elaborate
• Gaskets and washers can be cut very close together using a water jet cutter, helping to create an absolute minimum amount of waste from sheet materials

Using a range of different manufacturing techniques and having developed considerable knowledge of the methods that are best suited to each gasket material specification, we are able to successfully deliver gaskets and washers to suit even the most unique customer requirements.

To discuss your gasket and washer requirements, you can call CB Frost on +44 (0)121 773 8494 and our experienced team will be happy to assist you.