Bellofram Elastomers Adds Flash Cutting

Precise, scalable cutting and shaping brings silicone sheeting closer to final application readiness

Bellofram Elastomers has added custom flash cutting to the in-house services it offers to customers. It will create efficiencies by eliminating the need for customers to execute flash cutting themselves after taking delivery of Bellofram silicone sheets. The move is also expected to reduce waste for Bellofram Elastomers by 25%.

Flash cutting is an automated process that uses a system of reciprocating knives and computer numerical control (CNC) to fabricate parts like silicone gaskets and silicone pads with clean edges and precise shapes. It is prized for its ability to execute complex shapes more efficiently than die-cutting, without the time and expense of creating a die. Tolerances are comparable to the waterjet cutting process.

“In the past, customers would buy sheets and outsource the cuts. Now we can be a true one-source resource,” said Bellofram Elastomers VP, Matt Wingertsahn. “We can now produce the silicone sheet and cut it for the final application.”

The process involves inputting the desired shape using a computer-aided design interface. Bellofram can also offer flash cutting consulting services and assist with the shape’s file creation.

Bellofram Elastomers prides itself on its ability to accommodate short runs and large orders. In that spirit, like the company’s other services, Bellofram flash cutting is scalable. “We’re able to go one at a time or, for repeat cuts, produce runs in the thousands of pieces,” said Wingertsahn.

Wingertsahn stresses that the company will only be flash cutting its own product. “We are not getting into the converting business and won’t be in competition with our converting customers. We are offering this as a service to customers who usually execute their own flash cutting. Now they have the option of having it done here and shipped already cut to shape.”

Bellofram Elastomers’ shaped silicone products are used in a variety of applications on land, sea, and air, including Navy buoy systems, jet fuel bladders, engine gaskets, and vent ducts. Other uses include seals in food processing machinery and industrial ovens, and medical devices and pharmaceutical applications.