Many assemblies aren’t complete without a gasket. At Arbiser Machine, we can make the parts for your entire assembly—including custom gaskets.

While it’s possible to manufacture custom gaskets using conventional CNC machining capabilities, we often leverage waterjet cutting services to produce high-quality gaskets with incredible speed and accuracy. 

What Is a Custom Gasket? 

A gasket, also called an o-ring or washer, helps seal the space between two surfaces. Gaskets serve critical functions, such as preventing leakage, reducing friction, and inhibiting premature wear and tear among parts in an assembly. They are commonly found on flange connections and other mating surfaces in various applications across all industries. 

Gaskets are made from many different materials, including plastics, metals, and rubbers. We typically use neoprene foam or silicone rubber (McMaster 9010K22).

Benefits of Waterjet Cutting Services for Custom Gaskets

If you’re producing high enough volumes of gaskets, stamping and injection molding are potential manufacturing solutions. However, both methods require custom tooling, which can be cost and time-prohibitive for lower volumes. 

Waterjet cutting is a fast and cost-effective solution for low-volume custom gasket orders. Here are a few reasons we love using this capability: 

Waterjet cutting is a heatless process 

Cutting methods that involve heat can burn the rubber commonly used for gaskets. But waterjet cutting is a heatless process that won’t distort or melt a custom gasket, no matter what material we’re working with. 

Waterjet cutting is incredibly efficient  

All customers want their parts ASAP. If you’re looking for a quick turnaround for your custom gasket, waterjet cutting services often win out over other manufacturing capabilities. Waterjet cutting is incredibly efficient, capable of cutting soft materials at 100-500 ipm and common metals at 70-80 ipm. 

Waterjet cutting is highly precise 

Our waterjets can create any shape and a wide range of intricate features for your custom gasket. The tiny, needle-like stream is capable of achieving incredibly tight tolerances up to +/-.005".

Waterjet cutting can cut soft materials easily 

Waterjet cutters can cut through almost any material, no matter where it reads on the durometer scale. That makes this capability ideal for soft materials like silicone and rubber. The waterjet streams are so sharp that hardly any force is applied to the material. Imagine pushing a hot knife through butter—that’s how easy it is to waterjet cut a custom gasket. 

If you need a custom gasket for your assembly, request a quote from our precision machine shop today!