Rubber Grommets

Grommets

Grommets made of rubber or other elastic material are also used to minimize the transmission of vibration. They were widely used for mounting shock-sensitive computer disk drives, particularly in equipment subject to vibration or jarring, but are not usually used with more robust modern drives. The screws that hold the drive in place pass through grommets that decouple it acoustically from the chassis. 

   Grommets have a lot of important uses. In construction, manufacturing or production and other related industries, grommets are usually used to cover the rough and sharp edges of a hole in metal. This is done to protect another material as it is passed through this hole. For this particular type of application or process, rubber grommet  is usually used. 
    When a wire must go through a hole in metal, a two-piece plastic grommet can be used. This type of grommet effectively and safely grips the wire and it is a very important accessory if you need to avoid pulling a power cord or wire at all cost.

Rubber grommets are also important parts in automotive applications. They are used to protect lines, wires and cables from chafing or grazing on rough surfaces. They can also effectively reduce vibration and are used to seal different important under-the-hood and body applications.

In general, rubber grommets are more commonly used to protect or cover holes and to protect cables or wires from sharp corners or edges. There are also many advantages of choosing to use rubber grommet  over the other types of grommets. 
Below are some of them:

•        Rubber grommets are more weather-resistant.
•        They are also less affected by the negative effects of UV light and ozone.
•         They have high heat resistance.
•         This type of grommet is also more durable and tear-resistant.
•         It does not dry up, crack and come lose easily.
•        Rubber grommets are more resistant to phosphoric, hydrochloric, sulfuric and Saltpeter acid.
•        It can also handle bigger temperature spans than other types of grommets.
•        Rubber grommets are quicker and easier to install since they can be placed on one side      only.
•         It is not necessary to reach the opposite side of the installation to attach a lock nut.
•        It is the ideal grommet to use when space is restricted since it does not protrude and eat   up a lot of space.
•        It is ergonomically better since you don’t have to manually screw them into place.
•         Rubber grommets are more economical and practical solutions.
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•   When it is installed, the opening remains sealed until the membrane is pushed out. As such, there is no need to pay for and install any additional plug.

For purposes of designing a custom molded grommet, there are four components of a grommet:

•        Head - this is the geometry of the top of the grommet and does not have to be symmetrical to the rest of the grommet.
•        Neck - this is the section of the grommet that is often the thickness of the panel or bracket - noted as dimension B in the drawing above.
•         Body - this is the geometry of the bottom of the grommet and this also has infinite options.
•          I D hole - this is the hole thru the center of the grommet - but again since these are custom grommets, the hole does not have to be the same diameter all the way through; it could be on an angle, and it could be covered with a thin membrane in some cases.