Custom Molding of a Three Ring Bonded Nitrile Bumper for the Aerospace Industry

When Pierce-Roberts Rubber Company was contracted by a client in the automotive industry to custom manufacture this Nitrile bumper for a Twin Otter aircraft application, we rose to the challenge. Adhering to specifications laid out in a client-supplied 3D Solidworks drawing, we designed and manufactured the necessary mold. We then manufactured three metal rings, an inner, outer, and middle ring, which were then transfer molded into the rubber. We worked with Nitrile and 4130 aircraft-quality steel, conducting several in-process and destructive tests, to ensure the middle ring was properly suspended inside the rubber. The entire process was designed to be constantly repeated while achieving the same high level of quality.

We ensured the metal was MAG particle inspected per ASTM E1444 and phosphate coated per MIL-DTL-16232, TYP 2, CL2, in accordance with our client’s requirements. The final bumper measured 3.175 inches in outside diameter, 2.250 inches in inside diameter, and 1.125 inches in thickness. We held tolerances down to +/- .003 of an inch to guarantee all standards were met. Once the bumper was completed and all client expectations had been surpassed, we delivered the order to our client in Jacksonville, Florida. The project ran 7 weeks. For more information, please contact Pierce-Roberts.