A supplier of a Fluoroelastomer (FKM) tube being used as a wire harness in the automotive market was experiencing extremely high failure rates. The problem was that the tube was splitting while the wire bundles were being inserted into the tube. The Asian manufacturer could not help with finding a solution. The company came to Eagle Elastomer Inc. desperate for help in identifying the problem and coming up with a solution.

The Eagle’s Quality Lab was able to determine that the part was not being made with 100% Fluoroelastomer polymer. The tube became very brittle after post-curing at temperatures which should not affect FKM materials and had extremely poor tear resistance properties. Eagle then sent the sample for testing by an outside lab who informed us that the polymer tube was only partially Fluoroelastomer and the balance was a blend of various other polymers.

They recommended that the FKM tubing be made from Eagle Elastomer compound EE97380B, which only uses 100% virgin Viton™ Fluoroelastomer polymer. This compound met their requirements and ultimately became the solution to their problem. By determining the problem and providing a solution, Eagle was able to drastically reduce their failure rate and increase production.