Our team at Midwest Rubber Company takes great pride in meeting the medical industry’s highly-specialized needs, and through our efforts we are privileged to make the world a better place. Our medical clients around the world trust us in understanding their vision, goals, and ideas, and in selecting the right manufacturing process to create difference-making products.
We endeavor to always discover ways to make our medical clients’ products and systems work more effectively, and to save them both time and money. Several years ago, we were introduced to a memorable, cushion client. Its medical inventor came to us with a production challenge. He had developed a custom mold for his cushion product, an inflatable medical cushion, yet its many angles and channels critical to its performance made it very difficult to manufacture.
After carefully examining his variety of cushions and conducting significant research, our Midwest Rubber Company team determined that our proprietary dip molding process would meet the cushion’s rigorous manufacturing specifications. We were confident that this process could produce this complex product that makes people’s daily lives safer and more comfortable. Thus, we conducted dip molding development trials to create a sample part, and after a positive review our client approved its production.
The dip molding process at Midwest Rubber Company is an option that we select when creating elastomeric products for hollow parts. Our process involves immersing a mold in a tank of liquid, in which the elastomer coats and forms around the mold.
Depending on the desired coating thickness, we revise the formula, the dwell time and number of dips. Once formed and dried, we de-mold it and perform the various finishing operations required by the customer. We utilize different types of elastomers in this manufacturing process. In this application, a specially formulated liquid rubber compound. There are a variety of other materials available which varies for each application and its specific requirements.
We appreciate dip molding as it offers our clients a lower tooling investment, thus a lower total production cost compared to other manufacturing processes, plus we can manufacture different thicknesses without changing the mold. Further, complex parts can easily be removed from the mold due to their elasticity. The disadvantages are few, and include a somewhat slower process, and the challenge of maintaining a uniform coating thickness.
Internationally-utilized Starlock Cushion is considered the most effective positioning cushion that prevents and treats pressure ulcers. This inflatable medical cushion differentiates from others due to its patented Cell Locking Technology that locks the transfer of air throughout every individual cell, rather than just in two or four zones.
Perfectly contoured and custom-fit to a person’s unique shape, Starlock Cushion provides customized support, pressure equalization, and skin protection. It also enables the removal of air from individual cells for comfort. The variety of shapes and sizes include a stretchable cover for additional comfort and protection.
The Midwest Rubber Company team has appreciated meeting the specialized needs of the medical industry for more than 60 years. Whenever you have a manufacturing opportunity or challenge of which you desire assistance, contact Midwest Rubber Company! We look forward to working closely with you to help you to positively impact the world!
