Rubber Molding Capabilities

Rubber molding is a key competency at ATP Engineered Rubber and Plastics Group. The following capabilities show the process we follow and our various rubber molding competencies.

Injection/Liquid Injection Rubber Molding
Silicone Molding
Clean Room Molding
Rubber to Metal Molding
Compression Molding
Transfer Molding
Over Molding / Insert Rubber Molding
Product Design for Rubber Molding
Rapid Prototyping
Waste Less Molding
Six Sigma Philosophy
Multiple Site Manufacturing
Project Management

Rubber to Metal Molding /Composite Constructions

ATP is well experienced in the over-molding of rubber to metal substrates and other composites, including titanium, plastic, brass or stainless steel. Applications for this capability range from precise medical devices to rollers that drive the paper train in copying products. Proper tooling construction and identifying appropriate bonding agents are critical to the application, and ATP's project engineers work with you to identify all options available to you.

Over Molding / Insert Rubber Molding

ATP is well experienced in the over-molding and insert molding of multiple metal substrates. Products for the capability range from medical devices to commercial and/or electronics products applications. ATP provides particular expertise in the design and production of tooling and components used in insert molding. This process increases product functionality and ease of assembly by combining two individual components into one finished, single-piece component.

Clean Room Rubber Molding

Meeting increasing demands for particulate-free molding in the medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging markets, we provide dedicated clean room rubber molding capabilities (Class 100,000 and Class 10,000) at our facilities in Elkhorn, Wisconsin and Tempe, Arizona.

Product Design

Valued customers of ATP have emphasized the importance of bringing their product to market with great speed and technical integrity. In order to help accelerate the product development effort, ATP offers complete mechanical product design and tool design support services using Pro Engineer as a CAD platform. Full involvement of ATP cross functional teams from the earliest design stages helps to ensure optimized design for manufacture. From there, ATP minimizes risk of product launch delays through a systematic six sigma approach to manufacturing process optimization and product validation.

Give us your back of the napkin sketch and your product functionality description and we can help you turn it in to a commercial success. From concept development to steady state manufacturing of components or complete systems, ATP stands ready to serve.

Rapid Prototyping

Whether you require SLA, urethane castings or injection molded prototypes, ATP and its alliance partners will provide you the prototype solution you’re looking for.

Compression Rubber Molding

Compression rubber molding is a process of molding parts where a cavity (part configuration) is cut into a metal top plate, bottom plate and a center plate (if needed). A preform (measured amount of uncured rubber compound) is added to the open, heated mold cavity. To form the rubber component, the mold is then closed and put under pressure to squeeze the uncured rubber into the shape of the cavity. Excess material is squeezed from the cavity into pockets cut into the mold to allow complete closure of the mold.

ATP Engineered Rubber & Plastics Group has developed unique custom tooling and compression molding capability to meet the wide range of customer requirements.

Transfer Molding

Transfer rubber molding is a process of molding rubber parts where a cavity (part configuration) is cut into a metal top plate, bottom plate and a center plate (if needed). A transfer pot is added on top of the mold with a sprue (1 or more channels) connecting the pot to the cavity. A plunger is then added above the transfer pot. To form the rubber component, the heated mold cavity is closed (top, center and top plates) and a measured preform is added to the transfer pot. The mold is then put under pressure forcing the plunger to squeeze the uncured rubber through the sprue(s) into the cavity forming the rubber component. Excess material is left in the transfer pot.

ATP Engineered Rubber & Plastics Group has developed unique custom tooling and transfer molding capability to meet the wide range of customer requirements.

Silicone Molding

Silicone rubber is a unique synthetic elastomer made from a cross-linked polymer, which is then reinforced with silica. Its characteristics are such that it provides an excellent balance of mechanical and chemical properties required by many of today's most demanding applications. Silicone rubber molding is extremely easy to fabricate, particularly when compared to conventional organic elastomers. Silicone rubber flows very easily, and as a result can be molded in a number of different ways.

ATP molds silicone through liquid injection molding, compression molding, transfer and injection molding techniques.

Injection / Liquid Injection Molding

Injection / liquid injection molding is a process of molding rubber parts where a cavity (part configuration) is cut into a series of metal plates that are stacked to form the mold. A sprue plate is added where the injection nozzle introduces material into the sprue system and from there into the cavity. To form the rubber component, the heated mold plates are closed. The material is injected (screw system, ram system or combinations of both) into the cavity through the injection nozzle. The uncured rubber is squeezed through the sprue system (hot or cold) into the cavity forming the rubber component. The injection system is set up to deliver amounts of material to the cavity, and sprue system can be set up so no excess material is lost.

ATP Engineered Rubber & Plastics Group has developed unique custom tooling and injection / liquid injection molding capability to meet the wide range of customer requirements.

Waste-less Molding

Waste-less molding is a special tool design package that is constructed for customers who have high volume requirments. The design tool eliminates waste material in the transfer pad (from transfer molding) or the excess runner system that is common in injection molding. The only waste therefore left in the process is a tiny sprue that is easily removed by hand.

ATP has used this type of tooling packages for parts that may have a thin wall section or an area that will be deformed using the normal flash removal process.

Six Sigma Philosophy

Six Sigma is:

• A stable of tools and techniques that are useful for problem solving and statistical analysis of situations.
• A goal that targets the reduction of variation at all levels in an attempt to improve quality, improve yield and reduce cost.
• A vision that continues to drive toward the goal-reducing defects to 3.4 parts per million (PPM).

ATP’s operations are guided by a “Six Sigma Philosophy,” which is embodied in a determined dedication, led by a team of black belt experts, to achieve continuous improvement in quality, cost-efficiency and safety in molding and assembly.

Multiple Site Manufacturing

We have footprints around the world. In addition to facilities in Wisconsin and Arizona, ATP Engineered Rubber & Plastics Group has operations in Iowa and New Jersey as well as offshore facilities in China to provide global supply chain management services. Geographic proximity to customers increases our cost-competitiveness as well as our flexibility in meeting demanding delivery requirements.

Project Management

ATP project managers will be with you from the start of your project assisting you through design, prototyping, tool build, tool sampling, first article and production launch. Tools such as Mold Flow Analysis, Microsoft Project, Milestone Gant Charts and the latest 3D Design programs are utilized to assist our project engineers throughout the program.