There’s a lot you can do with polyvinyl chloride. Because of its flexible quality, PVC has applicability in creating both rigid and soft parts. Additionally, it can be cast, making it a useful material for customization. With the right mold and appropriate techniques, Midwest Rubber Company can create PVC objects of varying size, shape, and thickness.
PVC starts out as a powder, which is then mixed with liquid compounds to form a thick, viscous but slightly runny material. In this fluid state, the PVC is heated and then poured into the selected form, which will be open-faced and with a cavity, but no core. Colorants or any other necessary additions are mixed in at this point, and the filled form is then placed in an industrial oven at a specified temperature and time. The outcome is a rubbery elastomer.
“Polyvinyl chloride” probably sounds like an unfamiliar, technical term, but in fact, PVC is the basis for many consumer goods you might use every day. Some of the most popular cases for smartphones and laptops are made from PVC; people love its soft texture that makes items comfortable to hold and easy to grip. Another place where PVC is used that may surprise you is the theater industry. The pliable quality of PVC makes it great for creating realistic prop items, like food. Due to the nature of the molds used in PVC casting, resulting objects generally have at least one flat side.
At Midwest Rubber, we have used PVC in a variety of ways. We work closely with the automotive industry and have manufactured components for them including bumpers and seals. We also serve the medical field, where PVC is widely used for tubing in machinery, as well as for storing patient samples.
As you can see, PVC is an excellent material to work with that has innumerable applications. If you’re in need of a custom part, and you’re thinking that PVC might be the right choice for you, drop us a line at Midwest Rubber! We’ll listen to your goals and talk you through the best ways of accomplishing them so that your project turns out exactly as you need it.
