Vanguard Blog – Rubber Sealing for Naval Electronics

Among many things to be proud of about our state, Connecticut serves as home to some of the largest maritime defense bases and manufacturers in the United States. While there are many bases from which U.S. subs operate, the Naval Submarine Base at New London has been given the simple and telling moniker, “Home of the Submarine Force.”  We are proud to also be home to the Coast Guard Academy, and a number of hi-tech submarine and marine equipment manufacturers supporting the defense of our nation on the open seas.  Being a Connecticut company ourselves, and being that we manufacture a full range of sealing and shielding products for maritime applications, we thought it might be a good time  to talk about the perils of shipboard galvanic action, and how Vanguard shielding products help prevent galvanic action from occurring.

Galvanic action, in essence, is a process where combinations of materials essentially become batteries due to contact between electrochemically dissimilar metals. When this happens, a conductive path is made by which electrons and ions move from one metal to the next.  During the process, the material from which the electrons and ions are moving becomes “sacrificial”—physically losing material until degrading to the point of failure.  In practice, “galvanic action” can occur between the highly conductive EMI shielding gasket and the metal enclosure, and usually causes the electronic enclosure (typically made of aluminum or steel) to corrode and degrade to the point where the structural integrity, especially from a sealing standpoint, is literally eroded.  The process is initiated and accelerated through the presence of an electrolyte.  In the case of maritime applications, the electrolyte is abundant—salt water or salt fog in the air.  Since maritime US forces are equipped with some of the most advanced, sensitive electronics known to man, and given that seawater is abundant, it becomes obvious why there’s a need to guard against galvanic action in naval electronics systems.

Vanguard’s Ultra-Vanshield and Microbridge dual function EMI shielding gaskets reduce the galvanic potential by reducing the exposure of the dissimilar metals to the electrolyte.  This, combined with the appropriate selection of conductive material from our extensive conductive materials options, can virtually eliminate the potential for galvanic action between the shielding gasket and the enclosure on which it is installed.  Whether extruded or molded, our gaskets and rubber sealants have been proven seaworthy time and again aboard seafaring vessels. Whether you make your way on a Nimitz-class carrier, a Los Angeles-class attack sub, or a munitions supply ship, you can depend on Vanguard to safeguard your electronic operations systems from the wind, weather, and brine you encounter every moment. For more information on our customized and standard electronics protection solutions for naval applications, call us today or email us at Vanguard Products.

EMI Shielding Gaskets and Vanguard

At Vanguard, we know a thing or two about EMI shielding and conductive gaskets. Customers from around the world come to us not only because they’ve learned how no one does EMI shielding quite as well as Vanguard, but because our shielding gaskets can be cost-effectively customized to your exacting requirements. Sizes range from 0.010 in cross section to 3”. In addition, we also offer custom finishing services that include PSA application, cutting, bonding, and a wide variety of other secondary operations. Some of the biggest names in telecom, computers, high-speed electronics, automotive control systems, military electronics, and avionics wouldn’t think of trusting anyone other than Vanguard with their EMI shielding and conductive gasket needs.

We pride ourselves on the fact so that so many of our customers are long-term clients. It boils down to trust in our quality, selection, and 45 years of expertise.  Vanguard can offer you high precision, not to mention cost effective production in our ISO 9001:2008 certified facility. We employ only the best grade silicone, fluorosilicone, and EPDM available to create your EMI shielding gaskets. Perhaps most importantly of all, you know you’re getting the best because everything we make is made in the USA. No off-shoring, no outsourcing: you get EMI Shielding gaskets that are 100% Made in America. 

If want to learn more about our broad range of standard EMI Shielding gaskets and Conductive gaskets, visit our website or contact one of Vanguard’s experts today.

Vanguard Goes West: Our Fiber Optic Sheaths and MD&M West

The science of fiber optics has come a long way since the days of 1842, when Daniel Colladon wrote the first popular science article on the subject, “On the Reflections of a Ray of Light inside a Parabolic Stream”.  Since then, that clumsy “ray of light” has been honed and miniaturized until today a standard optical fiber is contained within a clumped cable of thousands of its kind. This allows for many possible uses, some of the most prominent being in medicine. Whether a cardiologist needs better light by which to navigate his scalpel while performing heart surgery, or whether a surgeon needs fiber optic nasopharyngoscopy to examine a nasal cavity for tumors, polyps, chronic nosebleeds, sleep apnea, or the like; there’s a strong medical need for many different types and lengths of fiber optic cables.

Likewise, there is a strong need to protect the intricate design of these cables from the inevitable wear and tear they suffer when utilized in a medical or dental environment.   That’s where Vanguard’s cable sheaths come into the conversation. Being that we have long-standing experience in manufacturing fiber optic cable sheaths for the medical industry; and being that we’re able both to perform long production runs of standard sheaths and/or customize our sheaths to comply with the intricacies of specific devices, we certainly are looking forward to this upcoming MD&M West in Anaheim, CA, February 12-14, 2013, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

As anyone in the medical device field readily knows, MD&M-West is one of the main medical showcases in North America, both in terms of exhibiting new technology and in presenting new techniques and approaches in manufacturing for medical products. Finally, MD&M is one of the primary means by which those in the medical OEM field can meet face-to-face in an informal, comfortable setting, and get to know one another’s business needs and timetables more clearly.

At MD&M West, we look forward as always to meeting up with old friends and business partners, as well as establish new possible ventures for the coming year. Not to mention that mid-February’s usually a nice time to leave Connecticut for a couple of days in favor of Anaheim! So stop by our booth, booth number 3355, and come say hello. For a complimentary pass to the exhibition, visit http://www.mdmwest.com. 

 In the meantime, contact us by phone or by email if you have any questions about our attendance of MD&M West or anything else.

Vanguard and Hurricane Sandy: Providing Customers with Shelter from the Storm

When Hurricane Sandy pile-drove into the New York Metropolitan Area, it didn’t take much for anyone who was caught in it to realize that the night was going to be a long and potentially dangerous one. Unfortunately, those instincts were spot-on. Hurricane Sandy proved to be the worst natural disaster to befall the New York region in nearly a century (the Spanish Flu of 1918-19 being the worst “natural disaster”). Over one hundred people in the Tri-State Area alone lost their lives due to the storm. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses suffered damage from flooding and 80 mph winds; many neighborhoods also were decimated by fire. In total, the official tally of damage now amounts to an estimated $71 billion, of which $9 billion is earmarked to improve the storm protection infrastructure of the region in the event of a future disaster of this scale.

Our own facility here in Connecticut lucked out: we suffered no remarkable damage to either our property or production capability. And as many tragedies happened that day, there were an equal number of stories of resistance and resilience in the face of Nature. In fact, many homes and businesses equipped with hurricane shutters and/or floodgate systems came through the disaster in good working order. While many companies should take credit for providing protection for businesses throughout the region, we at Vanguard contributed as well by providing  the gaskets and  seals we extrude here at our facility to several companies that expertly manufacture hurricane and flood protection equipment  used throughout public and private infrastructure to help insure no rain or water creeps (or sweeps) into a building.

Hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call of sorts to New York and the surrounding environs. Hurricanes, as it turns out, are no longer simply the province of Florida, Louisiana, or the Carolinas; they can happen right here in Connecticut and they can be heartbreakingly devastating. Now that the superstorm’s fury has passed, it’s time to insure that our houses, offices, warehouses, factories, and storefronts are secure from any future danger.   Meanwhile, here at Vanguard, we’ll keep working with the manufacturers that produce this high quality protection equipment and providing them with the highest quality sealing products in the industry.  

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.