Why Sorbothane is a great solution for Shock Absorption

Sorbothane®, a one-of-a-kind visco-elastic polymer that was first introduced in 1982. Since its introduction Sorbothane® has been used in many varied energy absorbing product categories. It can be – and has been – used in many different applications including everything from The Liberty Bell to the Air Force Memorial to Race Cars to the Space Shuttle. But Sorbothane is different than other shock absorbing materials like foam and rubber and we’d like to explain why.

Sorbothane® is a proprietary, visco-elastic polymer which has special properties that go far beyond the norm. Visco-elastic means that a material exhibits properties of both liquids (viscous solutions) and solids (elastic materials) so it will deform under load and transmit forces in all directions and then return to its original shape when the load is removed.
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Shock absorbing pads take many shapes and forms and have uses in a wide range of applications and industries. Sorbothane has provided shock absorption pad solutions for many applications in industries ranging from sports and leisure to industrial solutions.

The shock absorbing pads that Sorbothane can produce in any shape, color or style provide high performance impact protection that will transmit the force perpendicularly away from the object that needs protection. Sorbothane has an elastic behavior that causes the material to return to shape quickly as it prepares for the next impact to the pad.

In the following sections we’ll describe some of the shock absorbing pad solutions that Sorbothane can, and has provided over the years. (more…)

Sorbothane is the best solution when you need a shock absorbing material

Shock absorbing materials may be called shock absorbing polymers, visco-elastic polymers, visco polymers or simply polymers. There are many other shock absorbent materials available like rubber, neoprene, silicone, etc. but for our purposes here we’ll discuss polymer and Sorbothane specifically.

The problem might be shock to the human body or the shock from dropping an electronic device – the goal is the same though and that’s to protect the potentially precious materials inside. Other shock absorbing material solutions like rubber and other polyurethanes might have their place, but there’s only one Sorbothane® and it can be configured to meet your specific needs – regardless of the application. (more…)

Your Guide to Shock and Vibration Solutions

Sorbothane, Inc. announces a newly developed Engineering Design Guide. This design guide has been developed to assist engineers in a practical, hands-on approach to designing with Sorbothane®.

The guide is available at www.sorbothane.com or by contacting Sorbothane, Inc. directly. The data used in this manual is supported by empirical work. A windows-based program which parallels this calculation method can also be downloaded from the Sorbothane® website. Sorbothane, Inc. also offers additional technical support. Our engineering staff is ready to assist in designing the ideal damper or isolator for your product.

Sorbothane® is the ultimate isolation material for absorbing shock and vibration. No other material can dissipate energy as effectively. In many applications Sorbothane® has absorbed up to 94.7% of the impact force. Engineers worldwide choose Sorbothane® for applications requiring shock absorption, vibration isolation and damping.

● RAPID PROTOTYPING    ● LOW-COST TOOLING

● FAST TURN AROUND     ● MADE IN USA

Sorbothane, Inc. 2144 State Route 59 Kent, Ohio 44240 800.838.3906 Email sales@sorbothane.com www.sorbothane.com

Sorbothane®…Shock and Vibration Solutions

Sorbothane® Silent Feet® 2009 Design News Golden Mousetrap – Best Product Winner

For more than two decades, the Design News Golden Mousetrap Awards have recognized the best in engineering innovation and product design creativity. (Click here to view all winners) This year, awards were given in five major categories – Electronics, Motion Control/Automation, Rapid Prototyping, Hardware/Software and Materials – and 20 subcategories. Sorbothane, Inc. is proud to announce that Silent Feet®, vibration isolating pads, was judged to be the winner in the Materials Processing category. (more…)

A good vibration isolation solution lowers the natural frequency of a system to below the excitation (or disturbing) frequency. Keeping these two frequencies “out of sync” eliminates resonance and greatly reduces the problems of vibration.

The physical properties of Sorbothane® are unique, and have become the industry standard in the pursuit to isolate external vibrations which affect the performance of source components. (more…)

Sorbothane is a great solution for vibration damping.

Vibration damping is a term that’s used in industrial, electronic and ergonomic applications when there is a need to reduce the amount of energy that’s produced by the system. Normally engineers try to address and reduce this energy at it’s source so the disturbing force is not at or near a natural frequency. This will ensure that resonance does not occur. Sometimes this is not possible for many reasons so problems will usually be controlled with a vibration damper. Usually when a good vibration damper is added, the energy that is left over is removed and converted to a small amount of heat which is referred to as the “swallowed energy”. (more…)

Is vibration isolation your problem? Sorbothane has the answer.

Sorbothane is a proprietary, visco-elastic polymer – an ideal vibration isolation material. To learn more about how Sorbothane can help with your vibration isolation needs please feel free to contact us anytime.

What is vibration?

When we talk about vibration and vibration isolation we’re referring to mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point and then isolating an object, such as a piece of machinery, from the source of the disruptive vibrations.

It’s common to deal with vibration isolation concerns in industrial, electronic, structural and ergonomic applications because it is undesirable. Vibration wastes energy and creates  a lot of unwanted sound and noise that can be equally damaging. For example, the vibrational motions of engines, electric motors, or any mechanical device in operation are typically troublesome on many levels.

Such vibrations can be caused by imbalances in the rotating elements of the machine, uneven friction of the parts, the continuous meshing of gears, etc. Careful designs that include a vibration isolation solution usually minimize unwanted vibrations. (more…)

Sorbothane is a solution to the problem of vibration

Vibrations are all around us. They come at us in everything from the ground as seismic disruptions to external vibrations caused by automotive and air traffic – they are a constant in our lives. Moving parts within buildings, machinery, motors, tools, and electronics all create some form of vibration. Depending on your needs and goals these vibrations can be a major hassle so you need to find or develop the best vibration isolation system to subdue the undesirable movement. That’s where Sorbothane can help.

Vibration isolation systems using Sorbothane are in use in everything from huge buildings and structures to the smallest of electronics. Sorbothane’s custom designed vibration isolation systems provide shock and vibration protection for disk drives, PCBs and LCDs as well as acoustical damping and even many sports and leisure applications. (more…)

What is vibration isolation and vibration isolation mounts?

In engineering there is often a need to reduce the transmission of vibration between two elements while still maintaining mechanical support. Ultimately, the purpose of a vibration mount – and vibration isolation in general – is to reduce the effects of vibration and/or noise on people, equipment or the structure being engineered. A good vibration isolator lowers the natural frequency of a system to below the excitation (or disturbing) frequency. Keeping these two frequencies “out of sync” greatly reduces the problems of vibration.

Depending upon the application, Sorbothane® can absorb over 50% of the vibration energy over most of its temperature operating range at frequencies from 10 to 30,000 Hertz. Vibration Isolation mounts can protect objects and sensitive components from affecting each other, isolate or reduce annoying and potentially damaging noise, improve the user experience, protect the human body and extended the life of the application, equipment or structure.

Sorbothane® reduces vibration and lower structure-borne noise. It can be used for a variety of applications including isolating everything from fans, motors, pumps, machinery and compressors to air handling equipment. Isolation mounts using Sorbothane® work well for vibration control and high frequency sound reduction. Whether it is the vibration from a jet engine, the shock from dropping a cell phone or other hand-held device, or the noise from a blower that is resonating in an enclosure, Sorbothane® can be configured to meet your needs. There are few limits to the Industrial, consumer or scientific applications that vibration isolation with Sorbothane® can’t improve. (more…)