MATERIAL SELECTION GUIDE

Start With the Application, Then Select the Material

  • Soft Touch & Elasticity
  • Custom Performance
  • Rigidity & Impact
  • Wear & Tear Resistance





Consider

TPE / TPR or Silicone

Evaluate hardness, deformation, tactile feel, bonding, temperature, weatherability and cost.



MATERIAL FAMILIES

Understand the Behavior Before Choosing the Name.

Each material family is evaluated together with geometry, wall thickness, load, process, market, expected volume and target cost.



Custom Compound

Rubber

One of ZED’s core capabilities is custom rubber formulation.Balances hardness, tensile and tear strength, elongation, abrasion, rebound, friction, odor, color, aging, processability and cost.



Rubber Is Not One Material—Formulation Defines Performance


Soft Touch & Elasticity

TPE / TPR

Evaluate grade and hardness with wall thickness, deformation risk, bonding, geometry and cost.


Efficient injection molding for selected soft products.


Wear & Tear Performance

TPU

Evaluate hardness, flexibility, moisture sensitivity, processing conditions, wall thickness and actual loading.


For flexible components requiring stronger wear performance.


Structural Performance

Nylon / PA

Grade depends on load, moisture, temperature, reinforcement, wall thickness, appearance and molding conditions.


For rigidity, impact strength and dimensional behavior.


Selected Applications

Silicone

A Specialized Elastomer for Touch, Temperature and Environmental Performance. Compared with rubber, TPE and TPU through tactile quality, temperature, weatherability, process, cost and production feasibility.


Capability and application scope require confirmation.

RAW RUBBER PROCESSING

Quality Control Starts Before Molding

Consistent rubber products require consistent compounds. Ingredient weighing, mixing, resting, batch identification and process-window control affect dispersion, process stability, color, odor, surface condition and batch consistency.

Weighing MixingRestingBatch IDProcess Window


HOW ZED APPLIES MATERIALS

Selection Is a Hypothesis. Validation Makes It a Decision.

01

Define Use


Load, wear, contact, cleaning and environment.

02

Set Priorities


Decide which properties matter and which may trade off.

03

Select Window

Choose viable material families and grades.

04

Build Samples

Use the right process to answer the right question.

05

Test & Trial

Verify function, molding and production behavior.

06

Control Production

Lock material identity, process window and inspection.




FAILURE IMPROVEMENT

Do Not Change the Material Until You Understand the Failure.

CrackingTearingWhiteningBloomingOdorWearDeformationHardness Variation

ZED checks material, geometry, stress, tooling, process parameters, assembly, storage and real use before recommending a change.
Submit a Failure Problem
NEXT STEP

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