Increasing Operator Comfort with Custom Rubber Solutions

Whether a vehicle is used in agriculture, mining, power sports or another industry, providing driver/ operator comfort is a priority for manufacturers. However, the definition of comfort will vary depending on each application. In certain powersport applications, the operator needs responsiveness, and won’t want to sacrifice speed. For agriculture, heavy machinery needs to be able to maneuver in a wet, muddy, rocky field as well as on hard-packed dirt or even pavement. 

The length of time a driver will be operating the vehicle also matters. In vehicles where a driver will be seated and driving all day such as trucks and agricultural equipment, comfort levels play a critical role in reducing fatigue and improving operator satisfaction. 

When designing a new piece of equipment or redesigning existing machinery to optimize comfort, manufacturers of agricultural equipment can take advantage of engineered rubber parts to minimize noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH). 

Keep reading to discover multiple ways that rubber solutions make a difference in operator comfort.

Multiple factors play into the design of each bump stop, including the type of terrain, the degree of comfort needed, and durability requirements. Rubber is ideal for bump stops due to the flexibility available for the formulation and shape of each component. The wide range of formulations available allows designers to customize an ideal blend.

Each custom rubber bump stop will combine compressibility, resistance to stand up to the expected environment, and strength to last as long as possible. An optimized design will also allow bump stops to be produced efficiently while meeting or exceeding quality requirements.

Soucy Baron has over 50 years of experience designing, testing, and producing custom-engineered rubber parts for new vehicles and machinery. Soucy Baron engineers have helped develop computerized seating systems that optimize driver comfort by keeping the seat level in varying road conditions. With our technical dominance in materials engineering and experience working directly with OEMs, we provide quality, high-performance compounds for your component needs.

We can work with you at every step of the process, from firming up initial ideas to minimizing production costs, and ensuring compliance with applicable regulations.