Speedy access to bespoke rubber rollers

Close tolerance, application specific moulded rubber rollers requiring special surface finishes are available from Hiawatha Rubber.

Close tolerance, application specific moulded rubber rollers requiring special surface finishes are available from Hiawatha Rubber.

These include laser printer (charge) rollers, crowned rollers, cleaning rollers with sticky/tacky surfaces and rollers for mail sorters, medical imaging systems, photographic systems, currency dispensers plus many types of transport rolls, and custom rollers for difficult applications.

Hiawatha has built a proprietary library of tooling with approximately 60 different tool combinations used in the moulding process, which will work for approximately 80% of rubber roller styles.

This eliminates custom tooling saving the customer substantial dollars.

Additionally, using dedicated equipment and operators, Hiawatha provides a unique service called "Quick-Rolls" which is for prototype and short runs of moulded rollers delivered in 1 to 2 weeks.

To achieve the right custom roller design, Hiawatha Rubber engineers, chemists and technicians work with a customer's design group to develop a solution that best meets the required design criteria.

This includes selecting the right rubber compound, then developing the correct moulding and bonding process, followed by accurate grinding of the roller to correct dimensional and surface finish for highest level performance.

Hiawatha's in-house, lower cost grinding department specialises in achieving custom finishes and special crowning to achieve specific feeding characteristics and longer wearing rollers.

Custom finishes range from ultra smooth (polished) to extremely coarse (crepe).

Within its roller expertise, Hiawatha Rubber provides an alternative to heavy solid core designs, particularly for diameters larger than 1.5in and for larger quantity requirements.

Hiawatha is also a leading supplier of laser printer (charge) rollers and crowned rollers for copiers and printers, providing years of special compound development and precision grinding technology to meet the specialised needs of these industries.

In addition to in-house formulation chemistry, Hiawatha Rubber provides CAD design tooling, injection transfer moulding, CNC grinding and CNC machining.

Value added services available for custom roller designs include bearing assembly, plastic or metal gears, drilling and tapping components, precision journal grinding, plastic to rubber bonding, metal-to-rubber bonding and segmented roller assembly.

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