Appliance Industry
Custom molded and extruded rubber and plastic parts for appliance applications – built to your print, or designed with you.
Rubber and plastic applications in appliances
COi Rubber manufactures custom molded and extruded rubber and plastic parts for the appliance industry, selling to original equipment manufacturers. We make it our business to learn your business – providing application, material and assembly assistance – and build to your print, or help design the part from the requirement up.
Below are common rubber and plastic applications our customers source in this industry, and the materials we mold for them. These are engineering considerations, not guarantees of suitability – final selection depends on your drawing, operating environment and testing. Send a drawing or a sample part and we will match the compound, durometer and process to the application.
Applications:
- Door, lid and drain seals (rubber) – gaskets and boots that keep water and steam where they belong in washers, dishwashers and refrigerators.
- Water-line gaskets and hoses (rubber) – for inlet, drain and condensate connections exposed to heat and detergents.
- Vibration isolation feet and mounts (rubber) – feet, pads and motor mounts that cut noise and keep machines in place.
- Bellows and hose connectors (rubber) – flexible connections between tubs, pumps and drains.
- Dust and noise covers (rubber) – boots and covers that protect moving parts and quiet the machine.
- Grommets and wire-pass seals (rubber) – protect wiring and tubing where they pass through panels.
- Plastic housings, knobs and trim (plastic) – molded or extruded plastic components where cosmetics, insulation or weight call for polymer instead of metal.
Materials:
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Have a question? Use our contact form to receive information regarding your inquiry. You may also give us a call at (626) 965-9966.
Materials and your RFQ
Appliance parts live with heat, water and vibration, so the compound matters. Whether a material fits your part depends on your requirements and the specific formulation – buyers commonly ask about EPDM where water and steam exposure are concerns, silicone where temperatures run high, polychloroprene (CR) where oil contact is a concern, and TPV where a recyclable seal is a goal. These are starting points for discussion, not guarantees of suitability. Process follows the part: molding, extrusion or rubber-to-metal bonding.
When you request a part, tell us the temperature range, detergent or chemical exposure, and expected service life, and include the drawing or a sample part. We match the compound and durometer to that.
Design considerations for appliance parts
The right compound depends on the conditions the part will live in. The points below shape material and geometry choices for appliance applications:
- Heat and steam. Door and drain seals live near hot water and steam; compound choice follows the actual temperature range and cycle count.
- Detergents and chemicals. Laundry and dish applications expose parts to detergents and rinse agents; tell us the chemistry so the compound can be matched to it.
- Water sealing. Seals and gaskets must hold compression over years of door cycles; profile and durometer follow the gap and the closure force.
- Vibration and noise. Motors, pumps and drums shake; isolation feet and mounts trade damping against stability, sized from the load and the frequencies involved.
- Cost and tooling. Tooling approach, cavity count, whether one compound can serve several part numbers, and trimming steps all shape unit cost; ask us to review these early in the design.
Molding and extrusion for appliance parts
We match the process to the part and the volume:
- Rubber molding – compression, transfer and injection molding for seals, gaskets, feet, bellows and mounts, from prototype quantities through production runs.
- Plastic molding and extrusion – injection-molded housings, knobs and trim, plus extruded profiles where the cross-section is constant.
- Bonded assemblies – rubber bonded to metal or plastic inserts where the part must seal and fasten in one piece.
Send a drawing or a sample part and we will recommend the compound, process and tooling approach.
From prototype to production
Every new part goes through first article inspection or a Level 1 PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) before production – Level 3 for automotive, Level 4 for higher-requirement projects. We provide material certifications verified in our own lab against your material requirements, plus a dimensional layout, a bubble blueprint and a signed first article form. Level 3 goes into full industry-standard PPAP documentation depth: design records, process flow, PFMEA, control plan, MSA, capability studies (CPK) and the Part Submission Warrant (PSW). Higher-requirement projects can run customer-defined Level 4 submissions where specified. Our manufacturing facility is IATF 16949 certified, with APQP and 5-Why and fishbone root-cause analysis built into our quality process. Once a part is approved, we hold the compound, durometer and tooling consistent so reorders match the approved part.
What to include in your RFQ
A complete RFQ gets a faster, more accurate quote. Include what you can from this list:
- Drawing or sample part (2D or 3D files welcome)
- Prototype and annual quantities
- Operating environment: temperature range, media exposure
- Any required standard or rating (for example a flammability rating)
- Tolerance and fit requirements, including mating surfaces
- Target timeline for samples and production
Send these to sales@coirubber.com and we will respond with material and process recommendations.