The Best Isolator Material
What is an isolator and why is it needed?
Whether we are considering industrial equipment, home appliances, delicate electronics, a runner’s feet, or a worker’s hearing—there are damaging forces all around us. When these forces (impact force, compressive stress, shear force, vibration, and sound waves) impact people, equipment, and products, they can cause injury and damage. This occurs due to energy transfer at the point of impact. This energy is what causes damage to: the hearing of your workers, metal parts slamming together in a piece of industrial equipment, cases of delicate electronics experiencing rough shipping conditions, and shop floors as machinery “creeps” from its designated location. To avoid these kinds of damage, you need to isolate the affected entity—your worker, your equipment, your product—from the source of the unwanted energy, the force responsible for its generation. This is achieved by using an isolator—a material that absorbs the energy, providing isolation from the generating force and, thereby, protection from damaging effects.
What is a good isolator material?
A good isolator material is one that can efficiently absorb energy from multiple sources such as vibration, impact force, and noise. This material must maintain its performance under repeated usage, over time, without degrading. It should be able to retain its effectiveness in harsh environments, when exposed to chemicals and extreme temperatures. A good isolator material must also be capable of conforming to specifications for any size, shape, or thickness. It must be able to accomplish this without the addition of bulk or weight. A material that possesses all of these capabilities is Sorbothane®—the best isolator material on the market.
What is Sorbothane and why is it the best isolator material?
Sorbothane is a viscoelastic polymer that is one-of-a-kind. As a viscoelastic polymer, Sorbothane displays properties of both liquids and solids. Sorbothane flows like a liquid—viscous solution— when it is under a load (ex. impact force, compressive stress, or vibration). It acts like an elastic solid by returning to its original shape after forces are removed. Unique to viscoelastic materials, Sorbothane safely disperses absorbed energy (from shock, noise, or vibration)—in the form of heat, outward from the source. This combination of superior energy absorption (in many applications—Sorbothane has achieved shock absorption near 95%) and safe dispersal, provides effective isolation from the source. Sorbothane is specified by engineers worldwide for its superior isolation properties. Sorbothane is the best isolator material available.
Standard Sorbothane products and customization
The Sorbothane line includes standard isolation products. Sorbothane Pallet Isolation Rings absorb shock and vibration before it reaches your delicate cargo. Since Sorbothane can be cast in any size, shape, thickness, or color, it is widely used as an isolator in computer electronics (Sorbothane Multi-Axis Isolator-Hard Drive Corner Pad), industrial equipment, and appliances. Isolation Feet isolate noise and vibration in system components—speakers, CD/DVD Players, and amplifiers. Sheet Stock is available to accommodate your specific isolation needs. Customization is also available by contacting our engineering staff.
Sorbothane can meet your individual isolation needs
The National Park Service and the Philadelphia Museum of Art entrusted Sorbothane with a national treasure. They placed their complete confidence in a specially designed Sorbothane Isolation System that protected the historic Liberty Bell from further damage as it was successfully transported 935 feet to its new home.
Contact Sorbothane for further information on our standard products or to find out how our engineers can work with you to develop a unique solution for your isolation needs.
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