Margo Rubber Products moulds convoluted bellows and protective boots to your stroke, convolution count and service temperature at its ISO 9001:2015 certified plant in Nashik, India — in natural rubber, neoprene, NBR, EPDM, AEM, FKM and silicone. Made to your drawing, direct from the factory, with no trading margin.
A bellows is specified by convolution count, free length, compressed length and stroke as well as diameter — send those with the drawing and we will quote it. We mould from Ø10 mm to Ø150 mm across all eight compounds; the diameter limit is set by tooling, not by the material.
Natural rubber (NR)
Very high
−20 °C to +90 °C
Dust boots and covers where fatigue life governs and there is no oil contact
Neoprene (CR)
High
−40 °C to +120 °C
Protective boots exposed to weather, ozone and moderate oil together
NBR (Nitrile)
High
−30 °C to +120 °C
Boots and bellows in contact with petroleum oils and hydraulic fluid
EPDM
High
−40 °C to +140 °C
Water, steam, coolant and weather-exposed bellows. Not for petroleum oils
AEM (Vamac®)
Moderate to high
−40 °C to +175 °C
Under-bonnet bellows where oil, heat and ozone act together
FKM (Viton®)
Moderate
−20 °C to +250 °C
continuous to +200 °C
Chemical and fuel-contact bellows at sustained high temperature
SBR
Moderate
−30 °C to +100 °C
Low-cost covers in water and mild service. Not for oil or fuel
Silicone (VMQ)
Low
−60 °C to +220 °C
High-temperature bellows where movement is limited. Poor tear and fatigue resistance
Showing 8 of 8 entries. Flex-fatigue resistance is a relative ranking between compound families, not a cycle count. Cycle life for a given part depends on stroke, convolution geometry, wall thickness, installed pre-load and temperature as much as on the compound, and is established by qualification testing on that part — to ISO 132, ASTM D430 or ASTM D813 — not read off a table. Tell us the stroke and the target cycle life and we will qualify against it. Ranges are typical values for the compound family and are not a specification for a particular part; see our technical disclaimer.
03 · MATERIAL SELECTION
Which Bellows Material Do I Need?
On a bellows the compound is chosen for two things at once: what it touches, and how many times it has to flex. Name the medium, the operating temperature and the stroke, and we will tell you which to specify.
NR
Temp. Range
−20° to +90°C
Hardness
30–80 Shore A
Polyisoprene. The best flex-fatigue resistance of the eight and the highest resilience, which is why it is specified for dust boots and covers that flex for the life of the vehicle. Not for oil, fuel or sustained heat.
CR
Temp. Range
−40° to +120°C
Hardness
40–90 Shore A
Polychloroprene. The classic protective boot compound — it holds weather, ozone and moderate oil exposure at the same time, which is the condition most exposed boots actually live in. Also the family we reach for when flame retardancy is specified.
NBR
Temp. Range
−30° to +120°C
Hardness
40–90 Shore A
Nitrile butadiene rubber, the general-purpose industry standard. Outstanding resistance to petroleum oils and hydraulic fluids at moderate temperature, and the usual answer for a bellows on the oil side of an assembly.
EPDM
Temp. Range
−40° to +140°C
Hardness
40–90 Shore A
Ethylene propylene diene rubber, the preferred material for water, steam, coolant and brake fluid service, with excellent weather and ozone resistance. Holds a convolution outdoors for years. Not for petroleum oils.
AEM
Temp. Range
−40° to +175°C
continuous to 160°C
Hardness
50–80 Shore A
Ethylene acrylic elastomer. Our signature compound, supplied to Mahindra & Mahindra for engine and transmission applications. Specified for under-bonnet bellows where oil, heat and ozone act together — the combination that ends most boots.
FKM
Temp. Range
−20° to +250°C
continuous to 200°C
Hardness
60–90 Shore A
Fluorocarbon rubber, the first choice for aggressive chemical environments. Resists petroleum oils, fuels and many solvents at sustained high temperature. Specify it for chemistry and heat rather than for flex life.
SBR
Temp. Range
−30° to +100°C
Hardness
40–90 Shore A
Styrene butadiene rubber. Abrasion resistance at low cost, for covers and boots in water and mild service. Not for oil or fuel contact.
VMQ
Temp. Range
−60° to +220°C
Hardness
30–80 Shore A
Vinyl methyl silicone, the widest service range of the eight. Biocompatible and food-contact grades on request. Poor tear and abrasion resistance, so specify it for temperature rather than for a bellows that flexes hard.
04 · COMMERCIAL TERMS
Lead Times and How We Quote
Margo produces in bulk against OEM schedules. Send the drawing with the stroke, convolution count and free length, plus the compound and the volume, and we will quote it. Minimum run is 10,000 pieces per part number, per compound, or quoted against the part where size or complexity sets the economics. Prototype and first-article lots sit outside the minimum and are quoted separately.
Quotation
With feasibility report
48 hrs
Prototype
From an approved drawing
48–72 hrs
Existing tooling
Ex-works Nashik · 2 weeks express
3–4 weeks
New tooling
Tooling lead time quoted per part
3–4 weeks + tooling
Packaging
Bulk or interleaved on request
Poly bag + card label
05 · ENQUIRIES
Request Bellows Specifications
Send your drawing with the stroke, convolution count and free length, or a sample of the bellows you are replacing, with the compound and the volume. Our engineering team responds within 48 hours with dimensional confirmation, the compound datasheet and a quotation.