Rubber rollers & rubber rolls for industry
Our rubber rollers guide, drive, press and convey wherever material needs to be moved gently and in a controlled manner. As a Bavarian rubber roller manufacturer, we produce rubber rollers with vulcanised rubber coverings precisely tailored to your application: in terms of geometry, Shore hardness, profiling and material.
- Customised production
- Batch sizes 1 to 1 million units.
- Express production from 2 weeks
- 100% Reliability & proactivity
Rubber rollers and cylinders as a bespoke item
With our own machining centres, turning and grinding machines, as well as our own Toolmaking in our plant in Bavaria, we produce steel cores, plastic cores, tools and vulcanised Rubber rollers from small to large series with several 10,000 units per year. Our custom-made rubber rollers are specially manufactured for the customer and are produced with a directly vulcanised Gummy- or Silicone coating as Rubber-plastic connection or Rubber-metal connection delivered to reliably ensure liability, damping, and wear resistance.
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Adjustments for rubberised rollers and cylinders
At our company, as manufacturers of rubber rollers, we always produce them on an order-related and individual basis. This means you can influence all parameters. We manufacture your rubber rollers according to your drawings, turn and grind the steel core, and vulcanise the rubber coating directly onto the core. To ensure the right solution for every application, we select the most economical manufacturing process. We mill metallic cores from solid material, turn or grind them, or manufacture the plastic core in-house. Injection Molding. The coating is then applied by spraying or Compression presses.
Coating thickness
The covering thickness determines the damping, pressure behaviour and wear reserve of the rubber roller. Greater covering thicknesses increase elasticity and tolerance compensation, but also increase heat development under dynamic load. Thin coverings are suitable for precise pressure applications with high dimensional stability.
Surface profile
The profiling – smooth, grooved, diamond-patterned, or crowned – determines the coefficient of friction, self-centring, and media guidance. Profiles are turned or ground into the covering after vulcanisation.
Core geometry
The steel core forms the mechanical interface for mounting and transmits the torque. Shaft ends, keyways, centring spigots or flanges are manufactured according to drawings and are shot-blasted and treated with a bonding agent before vulcanisation.
Shore hardness
The Shore hardness of the elastomer defines the elastic recovery, coefficient of friction, and load-bearing capacity. Soft coatings from 30 Shore A offer high conformability and gripping force, while hard coatings up to 90 Shore A allow for higher surface pressures and more precise roller gap guidance.
Ball length & diameter
The ball length and outer diameter define the available working width, the moment of inertia, and compatibility with the surrounding installation space and existing bearing seats.
Run-out & Grind
After vulcanisation, rubber rollers with high demands on concentricity and dimensional accuracy are ground on special machines. Concentricity tolerances below 0.02 mm are achievable depending on the coating hardness.
Surface treatment core
The areas of the steel core outside the rubber coating are galvanised, nickel-plated, blued or painted, depending on the intended use, to protect the roller from corrosion and chemical attack.
Rubber materials for Industrial rubber rollers
In most cases, elastic roller coverings are used for rubber rollers, combining precise concentricity, high wear resistance, and reliable power transmission. Depending on the application, different rubber compounds are used – for example, for transport, drive, coating, guiding, sealing, or contact with media such as oil, water, chemicals, or high temperatures. As a manufacturer of rubber rollers, we will advise you in selecting the suitable material or implement a proven material concept according to your specifications.
Contact us for a consultation on your custom rubber roller - made in Bavaria
What is the difference between rubber rollers and rubber cylinders
In common usage, the terms are often used interchangeably, and even technically, there is no clearly defined distinction. Both terms describe the same cylindrical body that can be rotated around its longitudinal axis, with differences arising mainly from size, construction, and function. As manufacturers, we produce both designs using the same materials and vulcanisation processes. Whichever term is used almost always depends on industry convention, not on construction or function. However, the distinctions are not binding: a 6 m long „rubber roller“ is just as common in the market as a small „pressure roller“ in a desktop printer.
Sweet roll
In materials handling, one often speaks of conveyor rollers, support rollers, transport rollers or feed rollers. Rollers tend to be smaller, more compact and often run along passively — typically on conveyor lines, in packaging machines or in robot grippers.
Rubber roller
In the printing industry, the traditional term is " Druckwalzen" (printing rollers), while in rolling mills, they are referred to as "Arbeitswalzen" (work rollers) and "Stützrollen" (support rollers). "Walzen" (rollers) are generally larger in common usage, have longer barrel lengths, and are more frequently actively driven – typical in printing, calendering, and coating processes.
Rubber rollers & rollers in various industries
Rubber rollers from GUME are used in many industries. Wherever materials need to be guided, driven, pressed, or gently transported, custom-made rubber rollers are used, which are precisely tailored to the application.
Gummy sweets in the Printing and Paper Industry
Rubber rollers for printing, folding and cutting machines must meet requirements for concentricity, hardness consistency and solvent resistance. As drive rollers, they transmit torque to the paper web, and as contact rollers, they ensure uniform ink or dampening solution application across the entire roller length. Our rubberised rollers offer reproducible pressure conditions, thereby guaranteeing consistent printing and web guiding results.
Gummy sweets in the Packaging and conveying technology
In packaging plants and conveyor systems, rubber rollers handle the gentle transport, singulation, and pressing of sensitive products. Whether as classic conveyor rollers in the production line, as feed rollers in packaging machines, or as rubber-coated running rollers in movable assemblies — profiled coverings ensure a secure positive fit, even with changing geometries and speeds.
Rubber rollers and cylinders in the Food industry
Rubber rollers for food production are manufactured from FDA and 1935/2004 compliant elastomers such as silicone or EPDM. They withstand repeated cleaning, steam, and disinfectants, protecting sensitive products from contamination. Used as conveyor rollers or feed rollers, they reliably guide doughs, films, and packaging through the plant.
Rolls & Tyres by GUME Manufactured true to the drawing!
- Toolmaking is our core competency
- 100% in-house expertise
- Fast response times for tooling modifications
Insights in Role Projects
of our customers.
Pressure roller for a laminating machine
The challenge
A manufacturer of composite films was experiencing problems with a rubber-coated nip roller. The roller was intended to guide the film and carrier material together evenly. However, after a short period of operation, creases, pressure marks, and waste began to appear. Furthermore, the rubber coating was being attacked by adhesive residues and cleaning agents.
Assistance
The existing roller was inspected and its use in the plant was discussed. Of primary importance were Shore hardness, concentricity, temperature, and resistance to adhesive and cleaning residues. On this basis, a new roller was manufactured with a suitable rubber compound, coated and precisely ground.
Solution
The new pressure roller ran more smoothly and applied the print more evenly to the film web. This resulted in fewer creases, fewer print defects, and less waste. Furthermore, the more durable rubber coating meant the roller had to be replaced less often.
Do you have questions about rollers and cylinders?
We have answers!
Which elastomers are suitable for rubber rollers and rolls?
Our vacuum suction cups are manufactured from materials that meet the respective required approvals and standards depending on the application. For applications in the automotive industry, the electrical industry, and the food and medical technology sectors, we use materials that are demonstrably compliant with KTW D1/D2 and W270, with UL 94 requirements, and with RoHS and REACH, if required. If desired, our vacuum suction cups can also be produced with batch traceability.
What Shore hardness should my rubber flooring have?
Thanks to our in-house toolmaking department, we have a particularly high degree of production depth. We always keep tool blanks and common rubber compounds in stock. This enables us to produce prototype tools at short notice within our express service, providing initial vacuum gripper prototypes within two weeks. Following sample approval by the customer's quality department and completion of the series tool, we typically start series production from the fourth week onwards.
How is the rubber coating permanently bonded to the steel core?
Yes. If required, we will jointly develop a customised elastomer compound for your vacuum suction cups with our qualified raw material partners, tailored to the medium, temperature, coefficient of friction, wear and cleaning process. We will provide the appropriate material data sheets and certificates. For assemblies, we will also additionally check leak-tightness and functionality within the process. For special requirements, we will arrange further tests in external laboratories, for example for outgassing, resistance to cleaning chemicals or behaviour under radiation exposure.
What running tolerances are achievable for rubber rollers?
Thanks to our in-house toolmaking, we can produce vacuum suction cups flexibly in quantities ranging from 1 to 100,000. Depending on the geometry, material, and quality requirements, we manufacture using compression moulding, transfer moulding, or injection moulding.
For vacuum cups, the following generally applies: For high-volume production runs, automated injection moulding is often the most economical solution due to short cycle times, tight dimensional tolerances, and multi-cavity tools. Medium production volumes or cups with complex sealing lip geometries can often be efficiently produced using transfer moulding, as the material is conveyed in a controlled manner into the cavity and mould filling remains stable. Large-volume or thick-walled cups in smaller production volumes are often manufactured by compression moulding, as the tooling costs are lower and robust geometries can be implemented economically.
How can the Total Cost of Ownership be lowered?
To realise the most economical solution for your vacuum suction gripper, we precisely coordinate material, suction cup geometry, and manufacturing processes. We examine every request from both technical and economic perspectives and develop an optimised tool and manufacturing concept based on your drawing and specifications. We strategically rely on proven standard solutions, avoid cost-intensive special designs, and reduce tooling costs through well-thought-out design and modular tooling concepts.
What are the maximum dimensions possible for rubber rollers?
To realise the most economical solution for your vacuum suction gripper, we precisely coordinate material, suction cup geometry, and manufacturing processes. We examine every request from both technical and economic perspectives and develop an optimised tool and manufacturing concept based on your drawing and specifications. We strategically rely on proven standard solutions, avoid cost-intensive special designs, and reduce tooling costs through well-thought-out design and modular tooling concepts.
How long does the manufacturing of rubber rollers take for samples and series parts?
To realise the most economical solution for your vacuum suction gripper, we precisely coordinate material, suction cup geometry, and manufacturing processes. We examine every request from both technical and economic perspectives and develop an optimised tool and manufacturing concept based on your drawing and specifications. We strategically rely on proven standard solutions, avoid cost-intensive special designs, and reduce tooling costs through well-thought-out design and modular tooling concepts.
What documents are needed for a rubber roller inquiry?
To realise the most economical solution for your vacuum suction gripper, we precisely coordinate material, suction cup geometry, and manufacturing processes. We examine every request from both technical and economic perspectives and develop an optimised tool and manufacturing concept based on your drawing and specifications. We strategically rely on proven standard solutions, avoid cost-intensive special designs, and reduce tooling costs through well-thought-out design and modular tooling concepts.
