Custom Rubber Products: Hand Fabrication


In some cases, it is not possible to produce a rubber product or part using cutting, molding or extrusion manufacturing techniques. This can occur because the product or part is too large, involves a material that cannot be cut, molded or extruded, or requires expensive tooling to produce. In these cases, fabricating the product or part by hand may be the only manufacturing alternative available.

While hand fabrication of custom rubber products or parts does involve labour and time, it can still represent a cost-effective way to produce products and parts that may otherwise be difficult or impossible to make. At CRG, we still specialize in the hand fabrication of custom rubber products and parts that cannot be made by any other means.

CRG’s rubber fabrication team has well over 100 years of cumulative experience in creating custom rubber products. A significant portion of our team’s output still consists of products that are entirely made by hand, supplemented by equipment and machines only when feasible and required. Fabrication techniques in which our team is skilled includes cutting, shaping, bonding (including rubber to metal bonding), slitting, laminating, skiving, splicing and dovetailing, buffing and finishing, and more. All fabrication work is carried out in processes that are controlled and managed under our ISO 9001:2105 quality management system.

Over the years, customers from companies small and large have come to rely on CRG for custom rubber products. While we maintain the most advanced fabrication equipment, the hand fabrication of custom rubber products still represents a significant and growing market segment for us. Our fabrication team produces an extensive range of custom rubber products, ranging from over-sized gaskets and seals to dock bumpers and truck bed liners. Examples of custom rubber products we have fabricated include the following:

  • Gaskets – we have fabricated oversized gaskets up to 85 feet in perimeter length

  • Custom fabricated parts for equipment and machinery, including mounting pads and skirting and guarding

  • Bearing pads and cushions

  • Sleeves – standard, tapered and two-stage

  • Chutes

  • Mats

  • Dock bumpers

  • Truck bed liners

  • Snow plow blade deflector strips

  • Mud flaps

  • Vulcanized parts

At CRG, we fabricate custom rubber products from a variety of materials. These include standard and advanced elastomers, silicone rubber, microcellular foam and sponges, plastics, and specialty materials, including cork, felt, flock, and more. We also fabricate parts from food-grade and NSF/ANSI 61 certified rubbers. Elastomers that we use in our fabrication process include the following:

  • Natural rubber

  • EPDM rubber

  • Silicone rubber, including anti-microbial and metal detectable compounds

  • Fluoroelastomer (Viton®)

  • Nitrile (NBR) rubber

  • Red rubber (SBR)

  • Conveyor belting (including Kevlar® reinforced belting)

If you have a need for custom rubber products, including those fabricated by hand, CRG’s sales department will be pleased to discuss how we can assist you. Please contact our sales department at crg@canadarubbergroup.com to find out how CRG can meet your fabrication needs.