Machining Viton Rubber

[LONDONDERRY]

Greetings-
Short of moulding this part, is there away to machine 75A durometer, viton rubber 1/32" or 1/16 thick flat stock? I need to remove 0.3mm from the surface. If there is not away to machine this, can someone recommend another process? This is a one time part, so mass producing them is not going to happen.


Thanks
Frank

 

[MikeHalloran]

You can't just squeeze it that much?

Assuming you can't, freeze it, use razor sharp tools with a lot of positive rake that have never cut metal. Use soapy water or straight dish detergent as a lubricant.

It will work better if you've got a walk-in freezer big enough to do the machining in. You probably don't have one that's cold enough to make Viton get really rigid, but cold should stiffen it up a bit.

Or, at room temperature, you could attach it to a flat backing, e.g. with double stick tape or rubber cement, then grind the free surface. You may have to dress the wheel several times to keep it sharp enough to actually cut and not burn.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA