Choosing high-performance specialty elastomeric rollers is critical for reducing downtime and associated costs. Rollers specially designed for wear, longevity, and optimal transfer characteristics help keep your company’s operations running smoothly, boosting efficiency and profitability. With so much at stake, it’s essential to know what to consider before investing in specialty elastomeric rollers, particularly for high-volume applications.

In this post, we’ll break down the essential factors for choosing specialty elastomeric rollers and introduce you to a few performance-enhancing customizations that can help you get the most from your investment.

5 Factors to consider when choosing specialty elastomeric rollers

We’ve compiled the following five factors to consider when selecting elastomeric rollers designed for optimal performance:

1. Roller construction

The construction of the rollers is the first factor to consider when selecting the ideal solution for your application. Knowing whether you need single or multi-material rollers that include more than one elastomer with or without adhesives or coatings can dramatically influence the performance in your application environment.

Construction considerations:

· Single material

· Multi-material

· Multi-material with adhesives or coatings

2. Performance characteristics

It also helps to consider performance characteristics when choosing elastomeric rollers designed to last in your environment. For instance, examine a roller’s wear resistance, coefficient of friction (CoF), heat resistance, abrasion resistance, and thermal transfer properties before deciding which one is best suited for you.

Performance considerations:

· Wear resistance

· High CoF

· Heat resistance

· Abrasion resistance

· Thermal transfer

3. Roller properties

Next, consider the roller’s physical characteristics such as size, hardness, material, release properties, and surface roughness to ensure it’s designed for optimal performance on your production floor. Roller property considerations:

· Outer diameter

· Core diameter

· Length

· Material hardness

· Elastomer material

· Release properties

· Surface roughness

· Chemical exposure resistance

4. Environmental conditions

Considering the environmental conditions at your facility is another essential factor to consider when choosing the ideal elastomeric roller. Factors such as temperature, humidity, proximity to liquids, and chemical exposure can influence roller performance, so be sure to discuss these with your elastomeric roller supplier.

Environmental considerations:

· Temperature

· Humidity

· Liquids

· Chemical exposure

5. Moving material

Finally, what material moves through the rollers? Keep these materials in mind when

determining the ideal specialty elastomeric roller for your application, whether paper, plastic, glass, wood, or something else.

Moving material considerations:

· Paper

· Plastics

· Glass

· Wood

· Food

· Other materials

Customizations to enhance roller performance

Elastomeric rollers are not universal. There are many ways to customize them to ensure they meet your unique application requirements. For instance, you can add segments or grooves to your rollers or design them with a custom convex, concave, or flat profile based on your application and equipment specifications.

Performance-enhancing customization examples:

· Segmented

· Grooved

· Custom profile, such as convex, concave, or flat

These are just some ways to customize elastomeric rollers to optimize their performance. Work with our experienced rubber solutions experts to determine the ideal custom options for your project.

Which specialty elastomeric rollers are best for you?

Now it’s time to explore the various specialty elastomeric rollers to see which one is the best fit for your application. Below, we’ve categorized ten types of rollers by their construction and performance characteristics.

Need help deciding? Reach out to our team for professional guidance on choosing specialty elastomeric rollers designed especially for your unique application.

With over 70 years of experience providing high-performance rubber solutions, we’ve developed more than 5,000 different elastomers for office automation, aerospace, medical, automotive, industrial, and other markets. In addition, our strategic partnerships with the leading rubber manufacturers worldwide give us access to a vast catalog of rubbers. Let us help you choose and customize a high-performing roller solution for your unique needs.