What is Conductive Rubber
When it comes to conductive rubber, does it surprise you? After all, in traditional understanding, rubber is a well-known insulating material. However, with today’s technology, by uniformly mixing conductive fillers with the rubber base material under pressure, we can create a new material called conductive rubber.
And we can produce different shapes we need through processes like extrusion molding and so on. Nowadays, conductive rubber is widely used in many fields.
GALLOP INNOTEK has a well-established factory that can provide you with high-performance conductive rubber tubing.
the Advantages of Conductive Rubber
Excellent Conductivity: Through the incorporation of various fillers, conductive rubber achieves superior electrical conductivity, making it suitable for use in a wide range of applications.
Flexibility: The inherent flexibility of rubber grants this material excellent resilience, ensuring long-lasting durability and providing sustained service for your equipment.
Provides Effective Sealing: The sealing properties of conductive rubber effectively block moisture, preventing damage to internal components and extending equipment lifespan. It functions reliably in humid environments, though prolonged exposure to damp conditions is not recommended. A dry working environment remains essential for prolonged service life.
Electromagnetic Insulation: Conductive rubber effectively shields against external electromagnetic waves, preventing interference with your equipment. This ensures stable operation and enhances safety.
Cost Saving: Conductive rubber offers competitive pricing, helping you stay within budget. Moreover, its durability reduces costs associated with frequent replacements.
- High shielding effectiveness of up to 100 dB at 10 GHz with properly designed enclosures
- Environmental sealing up to IP68
- Wide operating temperature range from -55ºC to +160ºC, suitable for extreme conditions and specialized applications.
- Low outgassing for sensitive environments.
- Cost-effective solution
- High shielding effectiveness of up to 100 dB at 10 GHz with properly designed enclosures.
- Environmental sealing up to IP68.
- Wide operating temperature range from -55ºC to +160ºC, suitable for extreme conditions and specialized applications.
- Low outgassing for sensitive environments.
- Cost-effective solution
- Ultra-low electrical resistance and superior shielding effectiveness
- The sealing property can be top rated as IP68
- Wide working temperature range
- Excellent physical properties
- Endurable and good resilience
- Low VOC and cost effective solutions
- Available in fluoro-silicone resin options
- Ultra-low electrical resistance and superior shielding effectiveness
- The sealing property can be top rated as IP68
- Wide working temperature range
- Excellent physical properties
- Endurable and good resilience
- Cost-saving solutions
What are the Commonly Used Materials for Conductive Rubber?
The Basic Rubber Material chosen
The choice of conductive rubber substrate affects the physical properties of this material, such as hardness and strength. Generally, silicone-based materials are commonly selected as the substrate for conductive rubber due to their excellent elasticity and flexibility, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.
The Fillers used
Metal fillers
Conductive rubber typically incorporates metallic materials such as copper, silver, nickel, and others, which exhibit excellent electrical and thermal conductivity.
Among these materials, copper is the most widely used due to its affordability. However, its susceptibility to oxidation limits its application scope.
In contrast, silver offers higher electrical conductivity and more stable chemical properties, making it less prone to oxidation and reactions. However, it is more costly. Moreover, prolonged exposure to electric fields can cause electrical migration, leading to a decline in conductivity.
Nickel has higher electrical resistance than both copper and silver, along with superior corrosion resistance. When subjected to rising temperatures, it also undergoes oxidation, resulting in increased resistance. Therefore, it is unsuitable for use in high-end and precision electronic devices.
Non-metal fillers
Certain non-metallic materials are typically carbon-based compounds, including nano graphite, nano carbon black, and others. These are generally cost-effective, so if your budget is limited, you may consider conductive rubber filled with such materials.
Composite fillers
Nickel-coated graphite
Nickel-coated graphite powder is a composite material blending graphite with nickel. It combines graphite’s high-temperature resistance with nickel’s electrical conductivity at a low cost.
Additionally, its lightweight nature prevents adding unnecessary weight to your equipment. This material achieves both electromagnetic shielding and robust structural sealing, making it suitable for multiple processes, including extrusion molding and die casting. It can be fabricated into conductive gaskets and conductive rubber tubing.
GALLOP INNOTEK ‘s conductive rubber utilizes this very material. If you have any requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact us at your convenience.
What are the Factors Affecting its Conductivity?
Properties of the Base Rubber itself
The inherent properties of the base rubber also influence the performance of conductive rubber. It not only affects the physical properties of the product, such as strength and flexibility, but the density of the rubber itself also impacts the dispersion of fillers within it, thereby affecting the conductive performance.
GALLOP INNOTEK uses silicone-based rubber, which offers easy processing and excellent flexibility to provide superior sealing and EMI electromagnetic shielding for your equipment.
The content of the filler
The content of fillers is a key factor influencing the performance of conductive rubber. When the filler content reaches a certain level, the conductivity of conductive rubber increases significantly. Conversely, when the filler content is low, the dispersed fillers cannot form a conductive network, resulting in poor conductivity of the conductive rubber.
Environmental Factors
The humidity and temperature of the environment will also affect the conductivity of the material. For example, in conditions of high temperature or in some wet areas, the conductivity of the rubber will decrease significantly.
What is Conductive Rubber Used for?
Communication Field
Conductive rubber can serve as connectors, antennas, and other components in communication equipment, ensuring unimpeded signal transmission.
Electronic Devices
Conductive rubber is commonly used in everyday touchscreens, remote control buttons, and other conductive parts, enabling superior operational responsiveness.
Sensors
Certain sensors, including pressure sensors and strain sensors, benefit from conductive rubber’s flexibility and conductivity. These properties make it ideal for applications requiring sensitivity and flexible detection.
Electromagnetic Shielding
Conductive rubber can be used in conductive gaskets and seals to prevent electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Medical Devices
Motors, conductive gaskets, and sensors within medical devices can also utilize conductive rubber.
Automotive Industry
Conductive rubber is applied inside vehicles for electromagnetic shielding. Touchscreens within cars also employ conductive rubber as a material.
As a professional manufacturer, GALLOP INNOTEK welcomes your inquiries at any time.
Conductive Rubber Gasket Pre-Selector
Organize filler, elastomer and compression requirements for an EMI sealing RFQ.
Planning/reference estimate: This is a material-family starting point. Final gasket profile, filler, force, compression set, galvanic compatibility, IP rating and shielding require supplier testing.
During flight, aircraft fuselages accumulate significant static charges that may damage electronic components. Conductive rubber tires provide electrical grounding, transferring these charges to the ground to ensure safety for both the aircraft and ground personnel.
GALLOP INNOTEK manufactures conductive rubber suitable for aerospace applications, meeting diverse requirements across various fields.
Conductive rubber offers excellent elasticity and sealing performance. While foam can also be compressed, its resilience is far inferior to conductive rubber. Over time, this leads to permanent deformation and a decline in performance. The loss of elasticity inevitably compromises sealing effectiveness.
In terms of functionality, conductive rubber can shield electromagnetic waves from low to high frequencies, whereas conductive foam is only effective against lower-frequency electromagnetic radiation. However, due to its low cost, conductive foam is more suitable for applications in motherboards, monitors, digital cameras, and similar fields.
