Custom Sponge Rubber Sealing Solution Protects Critical Electrical Connections

Background

A leading manufacturer of industrial measurement and monitoring equipment develops technologies for measuring pressure, flow, level, and temperature in demanding operating environments. Its products support industries such as oil and gas, chemical processing, power generation, and water and wastewater treatment, where reliability, precision, and long-term performance are essential.

During the development of a new product, the company designed an electronic assembly that required a custom insulating spacer around a printed circuit card interconnector system. The connector transmitted electrical signals between separate compartments within an aluminum enclosure, making protection of the sensitive electrical interface a critical design consideration.

Challenge

The customer needed a closed-cell foam or sponge rubber component capable of performing several functions within the assembly.

The component needed to electrically isolate the connector interface while helping prevent dust, dirt, and other contaminants from accumulating around the exposed connector pins. It also required precisely positioned through-holes that aligned with the connector pin configuration, creating tight dimensional and manufacturing requirements.

The initial design specified a neoprene sponge. However, selecting the right material was essential to achieving the required combination of electrical insulation, environmental protection, compressibility, and long-term performance.

Solution

PGC partnered with the customer to review the component design for manufacturability and evaluate materials that would best support the application’s functional requirements.

Using its knowledge of supplier material portfolios and experience with similar sealing and insulation applications, PGC evaluated the original neoprene sponge specification and recommended an alternative blended closed-cell sponge rubber.

The selected material provided the electrical insulation needed to protect the connector assembly while also delivering the sealing characteristics required to reduce contaminant exposure around sensitive electrical connections.

PGC’s familiarity with comparable materials and applications enabled the team to quickly identify an appropriate solution, helping the customer move forward without extensive design changes or multiple prototype iterations.

PGC also developed the tooling and manufacturing process needed to consistently produce the component’s detailed pin-hole pattern within the required dimensional tolerances.

Results

The finished component met the functional, dimensional, and quality requirements established during the quoting and engineering review process.

PGC was awarded the production program, which included tooling, First Article Inspection reporting, and an initial order of 1,000 components. The project progressed smoothly from engineering review through production, and the completed parts were delivered according to the customer’s requested schedule.

Following inspection, the customer’s quality team approved the First Article results and confirmed that the components met its expectations for quality and performance.

The successful project demonstrated how PGC’s material expertise, supplier knowledge, and design-for-manufacturability support can help customers reduce development time, avoid unnecessary design iterations, and achieve reliable performance in demanding industrial applications.