Mass Transit

Mass Transit Molded Rubber & Plastic Components

Today’s world moves faster than ever. With population growth, rising fuel costs and ever-increasing traffic congestion in most major metro areas, many commuters are turning to mass transit. And state and local governments funding their transportation systems are always looking for ways to keep busses and railcars in service longer and stretch their transportation budget.

VIP Rubber and Plastic leverages over 55 years of industry experience to help customers in this vital infrastructure segment find solutions to their problems. Many of our customers come to us looking for “value-added engineering and design” that can be incorporated into their units. This includes design and production of high-quality parts through use of innovative and alternative materials to improve the handling and installation of a part. It also includes creating custom designed combined parts that that allow superior functionality while reducing production steps within manufacturing.

When one prominent manufacturer of bus doors encountered a door sticking problem for units operating in very warm weather, Vip Rubber and Plastic designed and produced an improved seal using Santoprene. In this scenario, ur creative manufacturing solutions solve problems, and can potentially reduce the weight of the part to allow for the use of a less expensive actuator.

Our customers are always looking to reduce overall weight and improve MPG and performance while staying in compliance with FMVSS 302 standards for their entire fleet. Vip Rubber and Plastic helps navigate this narrow path by offering a variety of materials. Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) such as Santoprene offer high ozone and abrasion resistance while reducing weight and processing costs. For situations where increased durability and long part life is required, Vip Rubber and Plastic offers such materials as Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM). Contact your support team today to get your project started.

A common issue inherent to the railcar industry is the reality that fleet components receive stress related to metal contacting metal through direct impact such as coupling or flexing and other daily wear and tear. Using seals between these metal components prohibits galvanic reactions between similar and dissimilar materials and keeps the surface grounded so you do not receive a static electricity shock. In addition to this continuous stress upon fleet components, many mass transit companies must also comply with federal regulations regarding issues such as the use of material that is self-extinguishing and low smoke and one that creates no hazardous byproducts when using such seals to remain within the guidelines set by ASTM standards.

Products such as VIP Rubber and Plastic’s CR65-1356CAL-D has been approved for this application and is in use across the country. This material can be extruded, molded or produced in calender form for slitting and die cutting which allows it to be used in locomotives, rolling stock and passenger cars while totaling millions of miles of service. Our material can be found in these fleet components as door seals, floor trims, gaskets, HVAC seals and many others. Other uses include isolation seals, trim pieces, hoses, cushion rubber, plumbing seals and edging.