Vanguard Set to Exhibit at Electronica 2012 This November in Munich, Germany

In order for a company to build on its success, there simply isn’t time rely and focus on past successes. It doesn’t matter how resounding your command over your section of industry may be,  there will always be  another company  somewhere around the globe  waiting in line to fill  and advance your niche. In terms of this maxim applying to Vanguard, we don’t seek just to build the quality products that meet today’s expectations. We know it’s a deeper game than that: we need to keep abreast and stay ahead of current developments in electronics technology and its relation to elastomeric products if we expect to be a leader in tomorrow’s applications. On that note, it makes good sense for Vanguard to have a strong presence at Europe’s key electronics expo of 2012, Electronica 2012, to be held November 13 – 16 in Munich, Germany.

Everything from semiconductor smart-grids, to the greater PCB components industry, to how embedded computing devices are revolutionizing the world, will be on the table and up for discussion.  Booths from the world’s most innovative and far-sighted companies will be parked side-by-side on the main convention floor-space. Visionaries from North America, Europe, Asia,  and Australia will together present a total picture of electronics that is bound to impact businesses and stimulate engineering minds throughout the forthcoming year. We’ll be there, exhibiting our products in Hall A2: Stand #471. To be included amongst the movers and shakers of today’s global electronics industry is a true honor and privilege for our company.   Here’s to meeting new faces!  

So what are you up to?

Since 1966, we’ve been making the world’s best high precision extruded, molded, and fabricated elastomeric goods.  Everyone at Vanguard is committed to the highest quality and to a customer service that is second to none.  In summary, our days are pretty full. Between engineering manufacturing, quality testing, and fielding orders and quotes, we really don’t have that much in the way of free time!

That being said, we want to take a quick break to spend some time asking you, our readers and customers, some pertinent questions. We know the capabilities of our rubber and silicone seals, gaskets, O-rings, and tubing from A to Z, but it’s always nice to know how these devices are being used in actual, in-development projects and applications. There’s always the chance that there are new, exciting uses for our products that we haven’t anticipated. On that note, it’s your turn to let us know how and why you’re using your Vanguard products, or at least the sorts of products that Vanguard specializes in. We’d also love to hear if there is any way we can improve our products and services; if there is any way we can become a better and more responsive company. We’re relying on you, the everyday users of our products, to fill us in on what we don’t know! In the end, we never want to stop growing and innovating, and a key component of that is being open to solid, intelligent feedback from the people you serve.

So leave a comment here on the blog, send us an email, or just pick up the phone and give us a call. We’ll enjoy hearing from you!

Vanguard’s Clean, High Performance Silicone And EPDM Products Provide Reliable Sealing And Fluid Transport For Critical Water Needs

Dependably clean water--it is not only needed to sustain human life.  A reliable clean water supply is critical for the operation of many industries ranging from pharmaceuticals production to power plants and electrical production.  Without clean water, the internal workings of power plant systems can experience failures due to the buildup of residues contained in the water.  This could cause long term outages resulting in not only inconvenience, but economic disasters.  Without high purity water, it would be impossible to produce quality pharmaceuticals that meet the rigorous requirements that the FDA has set forth. 

With respect to human consumption, the supply of clean, potable water is growing more and more challenging.  Population growth is straining the already taxed water supply in environmentally challenging areas such as Asia and Africa.  Further, political unrest and military actions around the world require that a reliable water supply be provided to not only our military, but to those civilians caught in the area of unrest.  This is not to mention the needs for clean water required by those of us who enjoy “getting away” from civilization for a while by hiking, biking, or camping in the wilderness.

For all these requirements, Vanguard has you covered.  Our custom silicone o-rings are used in large scale permanent water treatment facilities around the world to provide reliable sealing for membrane and media filtration units.  These rings are formulated with clean silicone compounds that offer an extreme resistance to compression set, allowing their performance over the long term without leakage.  Our silicone tubing is used extensively in portable potable water systems where reliable fluid transport is a requirement even after long periods of storage, all without imparting taste or smell to the water.  Our EPDM extrusions and EPDM molded products have been used in sealing systems for wastewater treatment and reclamation systems for decades due to their durability and long life.

All in all, Vanguard is doing our part in working with our valued customers to increase the supply of this critical element around the world. 

Vanguard and the Mark of Perfection

The NSF Mark is a big deal in the business world. You will find the mark on millions of the most highly regarded consumer, commercial, and industrial products in the world including bottle water, food equipment, water treatment products, appliances, and even pool and spa components.

At Vanguard, we are excited because we recently added more of our materials to our listings with NSF. These new materials are for use in food equipment and meet NSF’s standard 51. What this means is that now several of our materials are approved to be used at elevated temperature in commercial food processing and handling equipment like ovens, and refrigeration and holding equipment. The NSF recognized that our compounds are specifically formulated to be completely safe for food contact. They can handle high temps like in the case of steam and they are also resistant to degration from animal fats and cleaning chemicals.

This time around, we added 5 new silicone materials to our listing with NSF International. That brings Vanguard’s total number of NSF-51 listed materials to 10. It is big accomplishment to be recognized by such an outstanding international organization and it speaks to Vanguard’s continuing commitment to giving our customers the highest quality goods available. To learn more about all of our NSF approved materials, drop us a line or call today. 

American Made O-Rings Make the Difference

Not all O-Ring products are created equal. While O-Rings may seem like an afterthought, they’re actually essential components you can’t skimp on.  A lot rides on each O-Ring you purchase and put into place. If one O-Ring fails, you could be looking at damage that can shut down an entire operation or application, and even put your workers in danger.  In short, you need to choose your O-Rings carefully.

Whether you realize it or not, the vast majority of standard O-Ring products purchased here in the US, even those purchased from US based “manufacturers,” are actually manufactured and sourced outside of the United States.  While overseas manufacturing has certainly improved over the past decades, you still too often hear of unauthorized material substitutions or poor quality from these anonymously sourced products. 

At Vanguard, we don’t do low quality O-Ring products, and we don’t do outsourcing or offshoring.  Our philosophy always has been and continues to be to offer cost competitive alternatives to these outsourced products while maintaining and advancing the quality reputation we have earned over the past 45 years.  All of our O-Rings products, whether standard or custom, are made right here in the USA.  You know what you’re getting when you buy from us. All of Vanguard’s O-Ring products are made in our ISO 9001:2008 certified facility and can be custom formulated to meet your exacting mechanical properties, color needs, and resistance demands. Whether you need food grade, MIL Spec/Aerospace Grade, or ASTM D2000 certified O-Ring products, skip the overseas manufacturers and rely on Vanguard. Unlike so many factories abroad, we don’t thrive on anonymity: we have nothing to hide! We stand behind everything we make. It is simply not worth risking your money and time to take any chances with your O-Ring requirements. 

Drought in America and Vanguard

Drought damaged corn.

Forget the recent Olympics for a minute. As far as the weather goes in the US, 2012 has been setting the sorts of records no one really wants to set.  Meteorologistsreport that it has been the hottest year on record in the lower 48 states.  As of July 31^st, the National Drought Mitigation Center reports that over 50% of US counties are in a state of moderate drought or worse, a figure actually less than a week before.  The real trouble is happening in 2.52% of the US, where they are experiencing exceptional drought – and it’s a number that threatens to keep rising. While they believe this particular drought will subside, it doesn’t mean there will be much relief for producers of corn, soybeans, hay, and cattle for ‘12. If it continues as is projected, if drought-like conditions are the new norm, we will all be paying a lot more for just about everything we eat for years to come.

At Vanguard, while we don’t grow corn or raise cattle, we do manufacture and engineer many goods that are used in industries directly affected by the vicissitudes of nature.  On the one end our silicone seals, tubing, O-rings, and gaskets are used extensively in the agricultural industry for water purification, wastewater treatment, emergency water supplies, and the like. When there is no rain, you just can’t afford to lose water from poor seals. Our goods also play a crucial role in the bagging and packaging of foods after production, ensuring that food makes it to market safely and cleanly. Everyone at Vanguard is keeping close tabs on the weather forecast. We are all hoping for some rain, but in the meantime, our silicone tubing, seals, and O-rings are here for farmers at this, the most crucial of times for North American agriculture.

Vanguard’s Clean, High Performance Silicone And EPDM Products Provide Reliable Sealing And Fluid Transport For Critical Water Needs

Dependably clean water--it is not only needed to sustain human life.  A reliable clean water supply is critical for the operation of many industries ranging from pharmaceuticals production to power plants and electrical production.  Without clean water, the internal workings of power plant systems can experience failures due to the buildup of residues contained in the water.  This could cause long term outages resulting in not only inconvenience, but economic disasters.  Without high purity water, it would be impossible to produce quality pharmaceuticals that meet the rigorous requirements that the FDA has set forth. 

With respect to human consumption, the supply of clean, potable water is growing more and more challenging.  Population growth is straining the already taxed water supply in environmentally-ravaged areas throughout Asia and Africa.  Furthermore, political unrest and military actions around the world require that a reliable water supply be provided to not only our military, but to those civilians caught in the area of conflict.  This is not to mention the needs for clean water required by those of us who enjoy “getting away” from civilization for a while by hiking, biking, or camping recreationally in the wilderness.

For all these requirements, Vanguard has you covered.  Our custom silicone o-rings are used in large scale permanent water treatment facilities around the world to provide reliable sealing for membrane and media filtration units.  These rings are formulated with clean silicone compounds that offer an extreme resistance to compression set, allowing their performance over the long term without leakage.  Our silicone tubing is used extensively in portable potable water systems where reliable fluid transport is a requirement even after long periods of storage, all without imparting taste or smell to the water.  Our EPDM extrusions and EPDM molded products have been used in sealing systems for wastewater treatment and reclamation systems for decades due to their durability and long life.

All in all, Vanguard is doing our part in working with our valued customers to increase the supply of this critical element around the world.

Vanguard Is At The Forefront Of The Worldwide Solar Energy Revolution



The most effective solar collectors are located in areas
 of intense solar radiation and temperature swings.



Three decades ago, solar energy usage on a broad scale to power large sections of the population seemed to be a pipe dream.   Based upon the technology of the day, it was assumed that “direct conversion” solar cells could never be efficient enough to generate enough power to make their use commercially feasible on a large scale, and their costs made wide scale use unrealistic.  Further, solar reflector, collector, and steam turbine technologies of the time were not advanced enough to warrant consideration for use in multi-megawatt power plants

Over the past several years, the technological landscape has changed considerably with respect to solar energy.  Direct conversion solar cells are becoming less costly to the point where many individual residential installations make economic sense.  Further, reflector and turbine technology has now advanced to the point where it is now feasible to build solar power plants that can generate greater than 250 megawatts of power.  Industrial sites that utilize steam power are now using solar collectors to augment their traditional steam generation, thus reducing their dependence on traditional fossil fuels or electricity. 

From a materials and applications standpoint, these installations present some daunting challenges.  The most effective solar installations are located in areas of intense solar radiation and wide temperature swings.  Take for instance the largest solar installations in Asia and in Australia.  These are located in areas where the average solar radiation can approach  7 kWh/square meter/day and the temperature can go from close to freezing all the way to well over 100F.   Any material that is used in these systems must not only hold up to long periods of high heat and radiation without degradation, but must also be adaptable to the low temperature exposure as well.  Further, the weather environment in these installation locations can be among the most brutal on earth, with weather phenomenons such as brutal sandstorms or torrential tropical rains. 

 To that effect, Vanguard Products has provided solar energy developers with high-quality silicone materials that can withstand the intense heat, wind, dust-storms, and UV radiation over the long haul, while providing consistent reliable sealing and fluid transport. Our ability to tailor our custom silicone extrusions, moldings and tubing from both the design and materials standpoint has made us a “supplier of choice” for these types of applications.  Further, we are able to provide long term durable options with respect to mounting and installation, such as high performance pressure sensitive adhesive mounting.  We are looking forward to continuing and growing our supply to this industry in the future in support of the global efforts to increase the use of renewable energy.   

Vanguard: Reporting from the Front Lines of the 4G Revolution

At this moment on Earth, there are approximately 6 billion cell phones in operation. Of these six-odd billion, some 1.2 billion of these phones include mobile web access features. Already the mind goes into overdrive trying to comprehend the bandwidth needed for a wireless network of such dimensions. To cap it all off, with high-speed, digital 4G networks sprouting up overnight (and trans-globally), the wireless capacity of the world is ever more taxed to deliver better, faster, more broad ranging services for an ever-growing number of users.  While many figures in business, politics, and academia devote their careers to tackling the long-term need of increasing capacity, there are others who are caught up in the moment-by-moment race to deliver services at the pace at which they’re demanded. 

Vanguard’s Ultra-Vanshield and Microbridge EMI shieldinggaskets are ideal for providing EMI shielding and weather sealing for the base station units that are critical to providing this increased level of service. These base stations are responsible for sorting through the boggling number of wireless operations (anything ranging from speech channels, to transmissions, to pages, to clear reception) occurring at any given moment in the ether. 

Base sub-stations – BSS’s – transcode the actions of millions of cell phone users and incorporate them into the greater wireless cellular network. With the level of energy surging through these base sub-stations at any given hour of the day, there’s a matching need to provide protection from both within and without: within, to ensure signal clarity and interference free operation, and without to protect the units from outside unwanted RFI interference while providing substantial weather seal protection—a critical consideration in light of the places where the BSS is physically located, quite often in areas where the climatic elements are brutal, and the units are difficult to service. 

At Vanguard Products, we manufacture standard customized, weatheright seals to protect base sub stations from malfunctioning. Our materials and handiwork can be found in BSS systems throughout world  in some of the most punishing outdoor environments you could name. With a reputation for military-grade reliability under all circumstances, our seals will keep your communications systems up and running far into this century.

Hoping to See You in Philly at MD&M East!

As most of those reading this blog will already know, MD&M is the premiere conference and get-together for those in the medical device industry, whether they’re manufacturers, distributors, or end-users. The MD&M East Show taking place from May 21 – 24 in Philadelphia should prove no exception. The leading authorities in every possible medical manufacturing field – from cleanroom and sterilization, to medical grade materials, to electronic components and subassemblies, to motors, pumps, and motion control devices – will be strutting their latest products and findings at the Philadelphia Convention Center, located at 1101 Arch Street. In addition, 16 full-day conference programs will be offered to those who wish to attend them. Important discussion topics will include process validation, medical polymers, product development process, compliance, product lifecycle management, and global quality. Visitors can customize their own experience of these various topics by moving from one conference room to another. 

Being at the forefront of the medical manufacturing revolution (medical manufacturing itself being at the forefront of the new American “manufacturing renaissance”), Vanguard Products  will be looking, as always, for new clients and partnerships with others interested in making OEM medical devices of the first caliber. With our ability to provide both rubber extrusions and customized moldings, along with our intensive familiarity in EMI/RFI shielding gaskets, conductive gaskets, and silicone materials, we hope to impart our knowledge and services to those who are most looking to use them. We look forward to meeting with you at the Convention itself, as well as the possibility of exploring Philadelphia together in the hours between presentations and exhibitions.

Vanguard Takes the Lead in Designing N/B/C-Resistant Shielding

When given the acronym “NBC,” most Americans might be forgiven for flashing instantly to the media conglomerate that broadcasts hit shows such as “30 Rock” and the “NBC Nightly News.” But those who are in a certain line of work know an additional meaning for the acronym: “nuclear-biological-chemical.” Defense manufacturers and service-members alike realize the importance of having equipment that is resistant to the deadliest hazards of the modern battlefield. 

EMI shielding is a must for military electronics in general, and insuring that the EMI shielding will perform its job in even the harshest (and most unfortunate) circumstances is one of the necessities of 21^st century warfare. If, Heaven forbid, a tactical nuclear device were actually to be used against American forces, there would be the need for EMI shielding gaskets that are not only proof against the blast radiation itself, but are also resistant to the powerful cleaning agents used on vehicles and equipment that have been subjected to that level of aggression. 

Vanguard Products is fully capable of manufacturing such N/B/C-resistant EMI shielding gaskets. We account for everything from biological warfare to jet fuel spillage when we design our ITAR-certified custom shielding. The fact is our troops go into battle with some of the most advanced technology the world has ever seen, and that technology comes with highly specific requirements for remaining effective in the worst of conditions.

Insuring Galvanic Compatibility for Defense Electronics

In 1990, with the Soviet Union in its death throes, it seemed high time to begin stowing away some of the tens of thousands of tons of electronics the United States military had accumulated to fight the Cold War. At least, that was the line of thinking in the first half of the year. Then, that August, Iraqi forces rolled into Kuwait, and our line of thinking had to change yet again in preparation for the First Gulf War. 

As American forces began their rapid build-up to Desert Storm, a major issue came to light. The electronic equipment onboard tanks, Humvees, and mobile artillery, much of which had been corralled in storage sheds throughout the United States and West Germany, began to malfunction in the rugged desert environment. Due galvanic incompatibility, caused in many cases by inadequate EMI shielding gaskets and gasket design, the electronic enclosures on many of these items simply couldn’t withstand the environment they were subjected to, and began in many cases, just falling apart.

In short, the American military discovered what thousands of grade school science students have discovered when building their first primitive wet cell batteries:   galvanic action can cause the fast sacrifice of enclosures, especially aluminum and magnesium, in tough environments. The need became apparent to develop moldings, extrusions, and EMI/RFI shielding gaskets that would allow for the American military’s high-performance, high-maintenance electronic equipment to perform at optimal level for long periods of time.

Since those days of 1991, we’ve come a long way in terms of our design-work for military electronics and, by extension,  ruggedized commercial applications. At Vanguard Products  we’ve fabricated any number of custom moldings, rubber extrusions, and shielding gaskets for some of the most sophisticated vehicles and weapons systems in America’s arsenal. Just ask the soldiers and marines who fought in the Second Gulf War. While it’s a given that mil-spec equipment is prone to breakage and failure in wartime (just as in peacetime), the anticipated epidemic of mechanical and electronic failures similar to the First Gulf War never materialized for the Second, at least not on the same scale. It’s because we as a country had learned our lessons from 1991. It’s because companies like Vanguard Products had applied those lessons with consideration and care to the equipment they had designed.