OEMs in the automotive industry or those providing parts and components to any type of manufacturing and fabrication services have several options to consider. The first is the type of metal or alloy to use for the part, and the second is the type of surface finish that is applied.
This surface finish is typically selected to stand up to corrosion and to increase the life cycle of the part by adding protection. At the same time, these finishes have to thin, durable, and low-cost to apply to high volume types of part orders.
Working with One Contract Manufacturer
A third consideration, the choice of rubber to metal bonding, may also be selected by OEMs. This is an ideal way to create additional protection to the surface of the part, to limit vibration and noise with metal on metal contact, and to improve the life cycle of the part. Of course, the choice of bonding the rubber directly to the part also eliminates the need for additional gaskets, an extra step during assembly, and eliminates having another contract manufacturing company in the supply chain.
Companies that provide rubber to metal bonding typically specialize in designing this process to work with their metal finishing processes. These are commonly the zinc, zinc-nickel, or zinc-iron plating process, and these can be exceptional choices to apply before the bonding step.
Increased Wear and Tear Resistance
With the choice of rubber to metal bonding, the part itself is protected from wear and tear. This is not only through the rubber layer that prevents direct metal to metal contact in the system, but also in the choice of a corrosion resistant finish to the part.
The ideal bonding process between rubber and metal uses a thin layer of adhesive that uniformly bonds the surface of the two materials. The strength of these types of bonding processes is exceptional, resisting shear force as well as compressive forces in the specific application.