Rubber Mouldings – Compression, Transfer and Injection Moulding

As specialist rubber manufacturers, we have been supplying rubber mouldings for a range of industries for many years, including automotive, construction, electrical enclosures, heating/HVAC, lighting, medical, the MOD and the rail and mass transit industry. With our vast experience and manufacturing capabilities, we ensure that all moulded rubber products are matched to the customer’s requirements to provide the ideal mouldings for the specified applications. We commonly supply rubber mouldings for use as door and window seals, vibration mounts for vehicles, and lighting seals to prevent the ingress of dust, moisture and weather conditions.

At CB Frost, we utilise three main manufacturing methods for supplying rubber mouldings; compression moulding, transfer moulding and injection moulding. Using our state of the art tooling, we can produce mouldings for all levels of production, from small batches to high volume. We always work to make sure production is as fast as possible for the convenience of our customers.

Compression moulding

Compression moulding is well suited for producing both large and intricate parts. As it creates a minimal amount of waste material, it’s also one of the lowest cost methods for producing rubber mouldings. The manufacturing process requires raw rubber compound to be inserted into the pre-heated cavities of a compression moulding tool.

The rubber material is weighed before moulding to make sure the right amount is used. The mould can then be closed and heat and pressure is applied to the raw materials, allowing them to form the desired shape by filling the moulding cavity.

Transfer moulding

In the transfer moulding method, rather than being placed directly into the moulding cavity, the raw rubber compound is inserted into the tool’s transfer pot, located between the top plate of the moulding tool and a plunger. When the mould is closed, the raw material is compressed by the plunger, moving through sprues into the moulding cavity.

The transfer method of moulding provides an economical process for medium to high precision products, but it does create more waste than the compression moulding method. However, excess rubber can be recycled where possible.

Injection moulding

Injection moulding is a more complicated process than compression or transfer moulding and can be used to produce both very small and intricate parts and large products. In this process, uncured raw rubber is fed into the machine using a screw feeder system that transfers the exact amount of material into a heated barrel so that it can slowly be pushed through an injection nozzle to travel through a runner system to fill the moulding cavities. The rubber material is placed under considerable pressure to create the required shape.

If you are unsure about which rubber moulding technique would be best suited for your application, our sales team are available to advise you on the best manufacturing processes and materials for your project. For more information on rubber mouldings, please contact us on +44 (0)121 773 8494 or email info@cbfrost-rubber.com.