Frequently Asked Questions
Q. From what types of rubber materials does Ames Industrial make parts?
A. Buna-N, EPDM, Neoprene, Nitrile , Silicone, Viton®, Butyl, SBR, and Natural Rubber.
Q. Does Ames Industrial make rubber parts in colors?
A. Ames Industrial can make rubber parts in colors such as yellow, red, orange, blue, gray, purple, brown, and white. You can also provide a pantone color number or a sample and have your rubber parts color matched.
In addition to aesthetics, we can also color parts to differentiate sizes or hardness for your parts. Some materials are more color stable than others and we can give you recommendations on materials if color is required.
Q. Do you make any standard rubber parts?
A. The only standard, off-the-shelf parts we make are listed in the Product Line Section of our website. We own tooling to make Pneumatic Tool Holsters, Tie Down Straps, and molded sheets.
The majority of the parts that Ames Industrial produces are made exclusively for our customers. We can design and manufacture specific parts for your application when off the shelf catalog parts can't be found or just won't work.
Q. What is the process for getting a quotation?
A.You can get a quote in a number of ways. You can send us a blueprint, CAD file, sketch or sample of your part. We also require estimated or actual volume requirements, and it is very helpful to understand in what environment the part will be used so we can assist you in the selection of the proper material. Our goal is to have your quotation ready within 3 days or less.
Q. Do you have a specialty?
A. At Ames Industrial, we pride ourselves in our varied manufacturing processes. This gives our customers something that other rubber companies don't always give you, choice!
For example, we can make a custom rubber washer by molding it to size, molding tubes and lathe cutting, extruding and lathe cutting, profile cutting or die cutting. This flexibility gives you the power to choose at what level of precision you require versus the price that you wish to pay. Our flexibility is your assurance that you will get the parts that you want at the price that you need. The industries that we serve span a wide range of applications, enabling us to capitalize on lessons learned from other projects, increasing our value to you our customer.
Q. Do you outsource any work to overseas rubber manufacturers?
A. No! Every part Ames Industrial makes is made in the U.S.A.
Q. Can you meet any special material requirements?
A. Yes. Ames Industrial manufactures rubber components to FDA, UL, NSF and many other specifications. In addition, we can meet any ASTM callout. If the environment is harsh or in some way specialized and no standard has yet been developed, Ames Industrial can formulate the compound and develop an ASTM specification for you.
Q. I don't know what type of rubber to use.
A. No problem. Tell us the application and the environment and Ames Industrial will have the rubber compounded specifically for you.
Q. Can you help design the part?
A. While we do not have design engineers on staff, Ames Industrial's knowledgeable staff is ready and more than happy to assist you with your design applications. Our expertise in elastomers and varied rubber production processes give us a unique "real world" take when your engineers run into problems. We also can assist with CAD drawings during this phase of the operation.
Q. Do you do Rapid Prototypes?
A. Yes. We can have parts water-jet cut for flat thick parts that cannot be die cut. We can make 1 up steel rule dies for thinner parts for both short run and production. We can also make 1 cavity prototype molds in steel or aluminum. These are lower cost alternatives to reduce cost and accelerate lead time prior to the production run.
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