Kent, Ohio – Sorbothane, Inc. engineers have developed three long-lasting, Soft-Blow Mallets that actually conform to surface irregularities, providing maximum surface contact without denting or marring. Sorbothane® Soft-Blow Mallets are designed to deliver the needed force without surface damage and are used for – fine wood working, auto body trim and glass, finish carpentry, cabinetry, remodeling, window installation, glass and tile work.

Sorbothane® Soft-Blow Mallets are now available in three sizes. The mallet is safe on all types of surfaces and assemblies including wood, hard and soft metals, glass, tile and vinyl. The Soft-Blow Mallet also reduces secondary damage and repair time. Because impact is absorbed and dissipated within the Sorbothane® material, hand jarring and harmful impact shock is virtually eliminated.

Sorbothane® is a unique visco-elastic polymer that is recognized worldwide as the ultimate material for attenuating shock, isolating vibration and damping noise. No other material can dissipate energy as effectively. Sorbothane® is a highly damped, polymeric solid that “flows” like a liquid under load.

Sorbothane® SOFT-BLOW MALLET

• Available Sizes: 5.5 oz. – 12 oz. – 20 oz.
• Deliver Needed Force Without Surface Damage
• Low Rebound – Saves Energy
• Works On Molded Surfaces
• Reduces Secondary Repair
• Use Any Side Of Mallet Head
• Forms To Edges & Corners
• Off Center Hits Won’t Harm Surface

Sorbothane, Inc.
2144 State Route 59
Kent, Ohio 44240
800.838.3906
email: sales@sorbothane.com
www.sorbothane.com

Sorbothane®…
Innovating Shock and Vibration Solutions

The Sorbothane® Soft-Blow Mallets
available at:     www.isolateit.com   –   www.snapon.com   –   www.impacto.ca (Canada)

Kent, Ohio- RX Sorbo® announced today that they will exhibit at both the OPMA Regional Seminar in Columbus, OH and the APMA National Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. The complete line of RX Sorbo® Performance Insoles will be available at the shows for evaluation.

SORBOTHANE® – PROTECTION & CUSHIONING COMFORT

All RX Sorbo® Performance Insoles feature Sorbothane®.

Sorbothane® is a unique material that cradles the foot in comfort and helps protect the entire body by absorbing up to 94.7% of impact shock. Unlike many standard insole materials, which can bottom out and lose effectiveness, Sorbothane® ensures comfort step after step. Durable and long lasting,

RX Sorbo® Performance Insoles retain their cushioning comfort significantly longer than other insoles on the market. RX Sorbo® insoles are an excellent choice for anyone who walks, runs, works, plays sports or spends time on their feet.

RX Sorbo Performance Insoles
2144 State Route 59
Kent, Ohio 44240
877.RX SORBO   877.797.6726
Email: podiatry@rxsorbo.com
www.rxsorbo.com

Sorbothane, Inc.                                                                      
2144 State Route 59
Kent, Ohio 44240
800.838.3906
Email sales@sorbothane.com
                                   

www.sorbothane.com                                                             

Sorbothane®…Innovating Shock and Vibration Solutions

Sorbothane, Inc. – Innovating Shock & Vibration Solutions

For over 30 years Sorbothane, Inc. has been – and will continue to be -
the innovative and trusted choice of engineers worldwide for developing materials and components that isolate vibration, attenuate shock and damp unwanted noise.

Since its beginning, Sorbothane, Inc. has been committed to producing superior American made products – that protect and improve the quality and enjoyment of life.

VALUES

FAMILY

• Relationships built on mutual respect and teamwork

CUSTOMER PARTNERS

• Listen first – then collaborate to engineer the best solution

QUALITY

• Excellence – delivered across all platforms

INTEGRITY

•  Adherence to a code of moral values and methods

SERVICE

• Striving to meet and exceed all expectations

Sorbothane, Inc. is located in Kent, Ohio and operates 10 specialized pouring machines.
With 64,000 square feet of manufacturing space and supply support systems in place. -
the Sorbothane team stands ready to meet any production need. Sorbothane, Inc. has an engineering design staff that specializes in shock and vibration solutions plus an in-house testing and quality assurance lab.

Sorbothane® CUSTOM SOLUTIONS

Unique applications call for very innovative solutions. Our engineering team will help design the custom Sorbothane® component perfect for your individual product specifications.

Since 1982, Sorbothane, Inc. has engineered individualized shock and vibration solutions for numerous and diverse markets. Sorbothane® components protect mobile electronic devises from drop shock damage. Precision lab equipment is isolated from unwanted vibration by Sorbothane®. Consumer and commercial products benefit from Sorbothane’s ability to damp out damaging and annoying vibration and shock. Manufacturing equipment “floats” on Sorbothane® mounts to last longer and run more efficiently. Custom engineered Sorbothane® parts protect delicate aerospace and aeronautical assemblies form the demands of space and air travel.

• ENGINEERING TEAM        • VARIABLE VOLUME PRODUCTION

• RAPID PROTOTYPING      • LOW-COST TOOLING

• FAST TURN AROUND       • MADE IN USA 

Unique applications call for innovative solutions. Sorbothane, Inc. engineers are ready to design the ideal damper or isolator to meet individual product objectives.

Our goal is to protect the performance and integrity of your product.        

Just want you to know what a wonderful product you have with the (RX Sorbo) Classic Insole. I’ve used these insoles since their inception. I remember seeing the commercial on TV with the man dropping a weighted ball on Sorbothane material & there was no bounce once the ball landed on the Sorbothane. I play softball & I think the first pair of insoles I purchased was in the early 80’s. They reduce the jolt & vibration on the body from running on hard ground. I credit Sorbothane insoles with prolonging my career in softball to the present…as I now am playing senior softball in the + 60 year-old division. I’ve now been a member of many National / World Championship Teams. I have recommended the insoles to other players to extend their playing days.

Again, thanks for a great product & making it available to the public.

Terry

Classic
100% Sorbothane® Full Sole Insert

The Unique Shock-Absorbing Properties Of Sorbothane®
Protect And Cushion The Entire Body – Head To Toe

Universal insert – Thin Enough To Use
As An Add-on Insert -
The Performance Of A Replacement Insole

Cambrelle® Antimicrobial Top Cover
For A Dry, Cool Fit

Full Length 100% Sorbothane® Naturally Cradles
The Entire Foot In Comfort

Specially Placed Air Channels Combine with Sorbothane®
To Provide Superior Cushioning

Kent, OH

Sorbothane® is recognized worldwide as the ultimate material for attenuating shock, isolating vibration and damping noise. No other material can dissipate energy as effectively. Sorbothane® is a highly damped, visco-elastic polymeric solid that “flows” like a liquid under load. Unique applications call for unique solutions. Sorbothane, Inc. engineers are ready to help identify or develop the ideal Sorbothane® damper or isolator to meet individual product objectives.

After three decades of proven performance – Sorbothane, Inc. continues to be the ideal choice for engineering design applications requiring shock attenuation and vibration isolation.

● RAPID PROTOTYPING          ● LOW-COST TOOLING
● FAST TURN AROUND            ● MADE IN USA

Sorbothane, Inc.
2144 State Route 59
Kent, Ohio 44240
800.838.3906
Email sales@sorbothane.com
www.sorbothane.com

Sorbothane®…Innovating Shock and Vibration Solutions

About.com – Figure Skating
Offers A Review Of:
LiveKuhn™ PeacePads™ – Protective Hip & Tailbone Pads for Skaters

LiveKühn™ PeacePads™ [featuring Sorbothane®] may become the favorite form of protection for figure skaters because of the sleek and discreet design of the pads. A skater can insert them quickly under figure skating pants or a skating skirt and will not be self-conscious while they learn and master skating jumps. Parents of figure skaters will also appreciate the fact that the LiveKühn™ PeacePads™ will protect their children from developing bruises. Wearing LiveKühn™ PeacePads™ while jumping will also give skaters confidence to be bold and aggressive on the ice.

Click to read the full review.

 Sorbothane®…Innovating Shock and Vibration Solutions

Show Feature - 

Pacific Design and Manufacturing Show
Anaheim Convention Center – Anaheim, CA
February 12 – 14, 2013
Booth # 3531    

Kent, Ohio – Sorbothane, Inc. announced today they will be exhibiting at the 2013 Pacific Design and Manufacturing Show. A new and complete Sorbothane® Standard Products Guide will be featured at the Sorbothane, Inc. booth.

Sorbothane, Inc. will display both standard and custom molded products for applications requiring shock absorption, vibration isolation and acoustic damping.

Sorbothane® has been specified by engineers worldwide for over three decades. Sorbothane® is a highly damped, visco-elastic polymeric solid that “flows” like a liquid under load. Its superior damping and isolation properties have been scientifically and real world proven. Unique applications call for unique solutions. Sorbothane, Inc. engineers are ready to help identify or design the ideal Sorbothane® damper or isolator to meet individual product objectives.

Your Guide to 100s of Standard Sorbothane

Kent, Ohio – Sorbothane, Inc. introduced a newly developed Sorbothane® Standard Products Guide. This extensive guide has been developed to assist engineers and product designers in the selection of standard Sorbothane® parts.

Sorbothane, Inc. offers a comprehensive line of standard Sorbothane® parts. These components have been developed over a period of 30 years and are selected for their specific shock and vibration isolating capabilities. Sorbothane® Bushings and Washers can be combined to create a floating bolt. Shock attenuating Hemispheres provide a quick, cost effective method for isolating lab and audio equipment. Stud Mounts and Bumpers are designed for use in compression settings. Anti-vibration Sorbothane® Leveling Mounts handle varying environmental conditions. Sorbothane® Sheet Stock is available in a variety of styles, thicknesses and durometers. 

Standard Sheet Stock of any thickness can be custom die cut or water jet cut.

The Sorbothane® Standard Products Guide is available at www.sorbothane.com or by contacting Sorbothane, Inc. directly.

If an appropriate Sorbothane® damper or isolator cannot be found among the standard parts, the Sorbothane, Inc. engineering team will assist in developing a custom isolator specifically designed to fit your individual application.

Design News – Doug Smock, Contributing Editor

A proprietary visco-elastic polyurethane offers design engineers unique opportunities to dampen vibrations and noise in mechanical systems. Sorobothane® is a thermoset, polyether-based polyurethane solid that flows like a liquid under load while retaining excellent memory.

Viscous materials (liquids) deform under load and transmit force in all directions. They do not recover their shape when the load is removed. An elastic material deforms under load and returns to its original shape after the load is removed. The energy from a Sorbothane® deflection is converted into a small amount of heat, which dissipates from the material.

The result is a unique system to absorb and deflect shock. 

“Industrially we look for applications requiring shock and vibration isolation,” says Bob Boyd, an owner and former president of Sorbothane®. “We’re all over the map. Stereo people use it for isolators on turntables for high-end players. We have isolated disc drives in laptop computers. We are still in the Wilson baseball glove and we do a lot of medical applications.” Shipping problems on medical scanners dropped from as high as 12 percent to less than one percent after using Sorbothane® as part of the shipping material.

Invented in England

Sorbothane® was invented by Dr. Maurice Hiles in England with funding from the British National Research Development Corp., which subsequently formed B.T.R. Development Services to commercialize the technology. In 1982 Sorbothane, Inc. was formed to take over the Sorbothane business in the U.S. Other independent companies sold products made from the same technology in the United Kingdom and Japan.

Dr. Hiles received the John W. Hyatt Award in 1992 from the Society of Plastics Engineers. The award is given annually for benefit to society. His research into the energy dissipation properties of human soft tissue disclosed a structure very similar to an interpenetrating polymer network. This led to his synthesis of the first commercial simultaneous interpenetrating network, now called Sorbothane®. Original use focused on shoe inserts.

Dr. Hiles was professor of biomaterials science at the University of Akron from 1980 to 1983 and holds eleven U.S. patents, primarily covering energy-absorbing compositions.

In one of his early patents, Dr. Hiles said his polymer production method comprises reacting a slightly branched polyol of low molecular weight with a relatively small amount of an isocyanate. He said the elastomer should be stable at temperatures of from -40C to +100C â€“ which in fact remains one of Sorbothane’s strongest competitive advantages.

“Say someone in Phoenix has a laptop and it hits the ground. And then the same thing happens in Minnesota in the dead of winter. Sorbothane® has the advantage of a larger window of performance than other materials,” says Boyd.

Heavy on polyol

Most urethanes are created by reacting equal amounts of polyol and isocyanate. The balance is tipped ten to one in favor of the polyol to produce Sorbothane®. As a result, the polymer has a minimum of chain branching. “The resulting solid polymer behaves like a quasi-liquid, being readily deformed by an applied force and slow to recover, although in the absence of such a force it takes up a defined shape and volume,” Hiles said in his patent.

Curiously, Hiles proposed the material for automotive bumpers. That goal was never achieved, although Hiles was correct that metal bumpers were going to be replaced with polymers. Less expensive thermoplastic olefins filled the role in part because they could be mass-produced with injection molding machinery.

The Sorbothane® urethanes are cast, a time-consuming batch process. Sorbothane primarily uses book molds, a closed casting process.  Skilled mold design is required to avoid air entrapment.  In an interesting twist, a two-pour system is sometimes employed. In one stream, a rigid polyurethane is metered into a mold, followed by a stream of Sorbothane®. The two layers are chemically bonded as they react together in the mold.

In another construction, called “constrained,” a layer of Sorbothane® is bolted between pieces of steel, producing a solid, vibration-damping base for machinery.

There a few key parameters engineers need to consider when designing with Sorbothane®.

“We want to know the weight, the frequency and the temperature (in the proposed application) so we can tailor the material and put a sufficient amount of material under the base so you are carrying the load and won’t get creep,” says Boyd. “And then we can tailor the hardness so that you get the maximum performance.”

The polyol formulation is a constant, but the amount of isocyanate can be varied to produce Sorbothane® with different levels of hardness.

Shore “00″ scale

Engineers may be surprised to learn that the hardness of Sorbothane® is measured in the Shore “00″ scale.

“If you take a hard rubber, it’s generally measured on the D scale,” says Boyd. “Soft vinyls measure on the A scale. A low durometer on the A scale would be 30. A high durometer for Sorbothane® on the 00 sale would be 70. That 30 and 70 equate. So our hardest version tends to be the softest version of what most people would make on the A scale. We’re down there with foams, but we are not a foam. We are a solid material. We have no cell structure.”

Sorbothane® parts are normally cast between 30 and 70 durometer on the Shore “00″ scale. Sorbothane® can be cast as low as 20 durometer (limited strength) and as high as 80 durometer (limited visco-elastic properties).

For obvious reasons, Sorbothane® is a specialized business, and operates with annual sales under $10 million. One strength is its diversity of markets and applications.

One interesting new application is a top covering for rails used to transport performers in the new Cirque du Soleil in Macau. Sorbothane® keeps noise to a minimum.