AUTOMOTIVE PARTS MANUFACTURER >
PRODUCT CASE STUDY
STEERING COLUMN SEALS
CHALLENGE
For many years, Midwest Rubber has supplied steering column seals for cars and trucks. More recently, weight reduction goals, higher heat in the engine compartment, and ease of installation for the assembly have made it increasingly difficult to compete. In one recent program, Midwest Rubber was asked to create a seal that would allow the steering shaft to be raised into an acute angle while the seal remained locked into place.
SOLUTION
Our engineering team developed an adaptable seal, created of molded or dipped rubber, that was able to meet increasingly stringent assembly requirements and helped our customer remain competitive in an ever-changing environment. The final steering column seal provided the flexibility our customer required, and eliminated two previous components from the assembly process. The complexity and weight was reduced, and the assembly process was simplified.
Our two-shot grommets are competitively priced, but more importantly, they also deliver on the quality, performance and technical requirements. Most manufacturers can’t promise that.
We created a shift boot with the beautiful look and durable performance of leather, but not the hefty price tag. In fact, our material was proven to perform better than leather, and we saved our customer $1 million during the first year of production.
Through careful analysis, our engineering team identified what was causing pieces of our customer’s product to fail in the field and created a solution to get the product back on track.
Our engineering team developed an adaptable seal that was able to meet increasingly stringent assembly requirements and helped our customer remain competitive in an ever-changing environment.
We developed a customized, permanent rubber bonding process to lessen vibration, reducing stress on important equipment. Our customer was satisfied with the solution, and it has been used across many types of machinery.
We developed a customized dip-molding process to produce a critical component of a new product that our customer, an automotive OEM, had created. The resulting winter wiper hood met our customer’s goals for performance, appearance, and target budget.
WHY MIDWEST RUBBER?
Vibration
Our solutions ensure less noise and a longer service life. Midwest Rubber strives to do everything we can to simplify your operations, and this includes reducing and eliminating excessive vibration caused by machinery. Noise vibration harshness can be caused by any type of motor, and can be a huge source of stress and disruption – not just to the machine, but to you as well. We create our solutions using custom molded rubber and rubber-to-metal bonded parts, making them a premium solution for anti-vibration.
