Custom Rubber Molding
Custom Rubber Molding Services
Lake Erie Rubber is based in Erie, PA, with over six decades of experience offering custom rubber molding services for customers in high-performance industries across the globe. We recently became ISO-9001 certified and maintain the most comprehensive and powerful collection of modern injection, compression, and transfer rubber molding equipment in the United States. Our custom rubber molding services can produce components and parts that meet exacting specifications with a focus on precision and efficiency.
At Lake Erie Rubber, we are continually improving our techniques and knowledge of specialty compounds used for custom rubber molding services, including Viton, SBR, NBR, and other synthetic rubbers. We remain focused on producing custom rubber parts right here in the United States by utilizing our localized and stable supply chain to offer fast turnaround times and competitive prices, especially for those looking to reshore their rubber molding needs to a stateside provider.
Our ISO-certified facility is capable of developing the right solution for your unique business needs while keeping projects on time and within your budget. Custom rubber molding can involve considerable variances, but we work alongside your team to offer high-level technical support and recommendations to improve manufacturability, optimize the material selection, and even contribute to the tooling design process. We have experience working in a wide range of industries, including vibration control, pet products, mining, construction, oil & gas, rail, and more. Our customizable capabilities include injection molding, compression molding, transfer molding, and rubber mold tooling. Lake Erie Rubber offers specialized custom rubber molding solutions that keep quality high and costs low.
Why Custom Rubbing Molding Services Outperform Other Manufacturing Processes?
Advantages
- Configured specifically for your unique needs unlike other off-the-shelf solutions
- Reduced costs over time
- Innovative and versatile rubber molding solutions
- Increased product performance and durability
- Custom rubber molding is especially useful for companies that have innovative new designs that don’t work with off-the-shelf tooling or standardized rubber molding processes
Disadvantages
- Increased initial investment cost for specialized tooling
- Depending on the end application, custom rubber molded parts must meet industry safety and compliance standards that require additional time or labor.
What Are Custom Rubber Molding Services?
Custom rubber molding services are specialized techniques and processes that manufacturers use to develop and produce high-quality rubber parts that meet exacting specifications for tolerances, production efficiency, and cost. Our team will work with you to fully understand the nature of your desired product and end-use application and can help find ways to improve production efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Custom rubber molding is ideal for applications that require rigid dimensional tolerances and unique functionality for use in specialized applications seen in the electrical generation and distribution, oil & gas, and construction industries, among others. With a comprehensive catalog of available rubbers to choose from, Lake Erie Rubber will find the ideal material that can withstand harsh chemicals, environmental conditions, and benchmarks for flexibility.
Case Study: Strengthening Supply Chains with US-Based Custom Rubber Molding Services
When Monster K9, a Pennsylvania company known for producing the “strongest rubber dog toy on the market,” began facing quality issues and shipping delays from their overseas rubber molding manufacturer, they started the search for a more reliable and scalable solution. Ultimately, they didn’t need to look very far and recognized immediate quality and financial benefits by turning over their need for custom rubber molding services to Lake Erie Rubber. Now, several years into the relationship, both companies have worked to create a successful partnership while Monster K9 gained a dependable U.S.-based partner with the expertise and capacity to support their growing brand and saw an immediate ROI as their dog toys for aggressive chewers flew off the shelves with no inventory or quality issues.
By partnering with Lake Erie Rubber, Monster K9 saw immediate and measurable benefits:
- 50% reduction in lead times on popular products, reducing shipping delays and the possibility of empty shelves
- 100% increase in production capacity to meet growing demand and expand the brand to new designs and materials
- Consistent material quality backed by ISO-9001 certification, where rubber is inspected upon delivery and consistently inspected throughout the manufacturing process
- Lower per-unit costs thanks to large, high-capacity modern injection presses and high-efficiency compression molding processes optimized for custom rubber molding services.
- Improved supply chain visibility with a domestic partner located just hours away, Monster K9 reduced the guesswork involved with an overseas partner and had clear delivery timelines and shipping information.
- More time and resources to focus on product innovation, marketing, and customer growth rather than communicating product designs and quality issues with an overseas rubber molding manufacturer.
Lake Erie Rubber’s custom rubber molding services not only resolved Monster K9’s production issues but also positioned them for long-term growth in the highly competitive pet products market.
Industries Demanding Custom Rubber Molding Services
Lake Erie Rubber provides process, cost, and timeline-optimized custom rubber molding services for demanding industries where performance, safety, and durability are critical. From small to medium-sized high-volume OEM parts to specialty large low-run components, we support customers with reliable custom rubber molding solutions and a wide range of material expertise that is unmatched by overseas and many domestic manufacturers. We can produce custom rubber molded parts using a variety of synthetic and natural rubber compounds, including EPDM, Neoprene, Nitrile (NBR), SBR, Silicone, Natural Rubber, and even FDA-compliant materials, that have been selected to produce best results based on the end application’s temperature, chemical, UV, or mechanical stress requirements. Here are some of the industries we serve and the custom rubber products we manufacture:
Rail & Transit Systems
We manufacture custom-molded rubber parts that meet the rigorous safety and compliance standards of the rail industry, including resistance to specific compounds, environmental conditions, and consistent vibration.
- Common Rubbers Used: EPDM, Neoprene, & Nitrile
- Typical Product Designs: Bellows, cable cleats, insulators, sand nozzles, grommets, and weather-resistant door seals
- Benefits: Fire-retardant compounds available; long-lasting vibration resistance; UV and ozone stability
Mining & Material Handling
We’ve produced durable, large custom rubber parts for mining equipment that are specifically engineered to withstand heavy impact, abrasion, and chemical exposure in challenging environments.
- Common Rubbers Used: Natural Rubber, NBR, & SBR
- Typical Product Designs: Vibration isolators, engine mounts, gaskets, flexible couplings, chute liners, and wear pads
- Benefits: Custom durometer ratings; tear-resistant materials; bonded rubber-to-metal assemblies available
Construction & Heavy Equipment
We supply rugged custom molding services to produce durable parts that perform reliably in outdoor environments and under tremendous and continuous mechanical stress.
- Common Rubbers Used: EPDM, Neoprene, & SBR
- Typical Product Designs: Equipment bumpers, grommets, weather seals, expansion joint components, and vibration mounts
- Benefits: Weather-resistant elastomers; wide temperature operating range; custom-fit designs
Vibration Control & Noise Reduction
Lake Erie Rubber specializes in customized molded rubber solutions for industrial vibration control and noise reduction that improve end transportation performance and can help meet certain regulatory requirements for noise reduction.
- Common Rubbers Used: Natural Rubber, NBR, & SBR, EPDM
- Typical Product Designs: Spring cups, engine mounts, isolation pads, machine feet, bushings
- Benefits: Custom compression-deflection characteristics; multiple mounting configurations; high repeatability
Oil, Gas & Energy
As one of our largest customer bases, we’ve produced an endless supply of rubber parts used as sealing and isolation components for oilfield and energy infrastructure, where temperature, pressure, and specific chemical resistances are vital.
- Common Rubbers Used: HNBR, FKM (Viton), & Nitrile
- Typical Product Designs: Pipe seals, valve gaskets, O-rings, flange grommets, diaphragm seals
- Benefits: Compounds rated for high-pressure and aggressive fluids; certified materials on request
Pet Products & Consumer Goods
Along with our successful partnership with Monster K9, we’ve offered custom rubber molding services to create unique products for consumer brands with a focus on safety, durability, and full-service support.
- Common Rubbers Used: FDA-compliant Silicone & Natural Rubber
- Typical Product Designs: Heavy-duty dog toys, safe chewables, branded rubber goods
- Benefits: Non-toxic materials; full packaging and fulfillment; scalable production
Contact us today for a free estimate.
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