Rubber Trim

Rubber Trim

Rubber trim is thin, narrow, long pieces of extruded rubber that function as sealants, molding and edging for buildings, automobiles and furniture. It is used in the automotive, construction, electrical and aircraft industries for decorative or functional applications. It is either solid with some sort of adhesive coated on one side or hollow with a snap-on edge. Rubber trim comes in many different extruded profiles, including D-shape, H-shape, U-shape, C-shape, O-shape and I-shape channels. They are found in tool boxes, vehicle trunks, under vehicle hoods, on utility vehicles, golf carts and the exterior of RVs and truck cabs. Rubber made into trim is able to function without melting or becoming brittle in atmospheres ranging from -40 to 150 degrees F.

Because trim is mostly used for outdoor applications, they are often made out of neoprene because it is resistant to oil, heat ozone and oxidation better than normal rubber. Other types of rubber used for trim include NPVC sponge, EDPM and silicone. The texture is always flexible and either dense and solid or soft and spongy. All rubber trim is manufactured through the extrusion process, in which rubber is heated and mixed with additives on a shearing screw conveyer and then pressurized by the screw's rotation. The heated rubber material is then forced into a die with high pressure. When it exits the die, the rubber takes its shape-in this case, a long, thin channel shape. Post-forming processes include trimming, notching, which is removing the excess waste rubber, curing and vulcanizing.