Converting & Fabrication
H-O converts engineered materials to your drawing using die-cutting, waterjet, slitting, CNC knife and laser cutting, custom profiling, and rotary converting. 687+ materials across 50 chemistries, in-house in Winsted, CT.
Built for: die-cut gaskets and seals, peel-and-place adhesive-backed pads, dielectric insulators, thermal-interface pads, EMI shielding gaskets, slit rolls, and multi-layer converted assemblies supplied to print.
Converting & fabrication at H-O Products is the set of in-house processes that turns a sheet, roll, or slab of engineered material into a finished, dimensioned part: die-cutting, rotary converting, waterjet, CNC knife, CNC laser, slitting and spooling, and custom profiling.
The shop cuts 687+ materials across 50 chemistries and 8 families, from BISCO® silicone foam and PORON® urethanes to Kapton® film and SSP502 EMI elastomers, and an engineering team selects the process by tolerance, feature size, material behavior, and volume. The remaining zones and duties are mapped in the When-to-spec list on this page. Values are per the TDS on file.
- Production gaskets, pads & insulators: flatbed die cutting with kiss-cut and in-line adhesive
- 10,000+ thin parts on a liner: rotary die cutting with acrylic foam tapes and thin foams
- Thick sponge, dense rubber, prototypes: waterjet, with no tooling and no heat-affected zone
- Short runs & large-format parts: CNC knife cutting straight from the CAD file
- Kapton®, APTIV® films & sub-0.020″ features: CNC laser cutting
- Narrow-width rolls, spools & shaped sections: slitting & spooling, or custom profiling & shaping
Which converting process do you need?
Seven in-house processes cover the drawing. Pick the one that matches your part — or send the drawing and engineering will route it.
Process
Die Cutting
Flatbed through, kiss, score, and perforate cutting of gaskets, seals, insulators, and adhesive-backed pads. Lowest per-part cost for most flexible materials at production volume.
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Process
Rotary Die Cutting
High-volume rotary converting for acrylic foam tapes and thin foams.
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Process
Waterjet Cutting
No-tooling cutting for thick BISCO® sponge and dense rubber.
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Process
CNC Knife Cutting
Drag, oscillating, and kiss-cut knives for prototypes and short runs without tooling. Fast iteration on foams, films, and laminates from a digital file.
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Process
CNC Laser Cutting
No-tooling cutting for Kapton®.
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Process
Slitting & Spooling
Precision width slitting of tapes.
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Process
Custom Profiling & Shaping
Skiving, splitting, beveling, and contour shaping of foams and elastomers into profiles and 3D forms beyond a flat die-cut part.
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Not sure?Send the drawingMaterial, thickness, tolerances, volume. Engineering picks the process and comes back with a DFM review and quote.Go to the quote formConverting & fabrication, in-house
Converting and fabrication covers every process that turns engineered material into a finished part to your drawing: cutting, blanking, scoring, perforating, kiss-cutting, slitting, profiling, and in-line adhesive lamination. H-O performs these on flatbed, rotary, waterjet, CNC knife, and laser equipment, then integrates lamination and finishing in the same workflow.
What makes the operation different is the depth of the material inventory and the material knowledge behind it. We work with materials from Rogers Corporation, Saint-Gobain, Henkel/Bergquist, DuPont, NeoGraf, Kaneka, Victrex, and dozens of other suppliers, and we maintain process-specific parameters for each chemistry, grade, and thickness. When an engineer specifies BISCO® HT-800 or PORON® 4701-40, we already know how that material behaves under each process.
Each card below opens a dedicated process page with tolerances, material guidance, and design rules. If you are not sure which process suits your part, send the drawing: engineering selects die-cutting, rotary, waterjet, CNC knife, CNC laser, slitting, or profiling by tolerance, feature size, material, and volume. Prefer email? Reach the team through the contact page.
| Capability | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Die Cutting | Flatbed through, kiss, score, and perforate cutting of gaskets, seals, insulators, and adhesive-backed pads. Lowest per-part cost for most flexible materials at production volume. |
| Rotary Die Cutting | High-volume rotary converting for acrylic foam tapes and thin foams, where a cylindrical die delivers the lowest per-part cost above roughly 10,000 parts. |
| Waterjet Cutting | No-tooling cutting for thick BISCO® sponge and dense rubber, and the better choice on soft, thick foam where a die would compress the part. |
| CNC Knife Cutting | Drag, oscillating, and kiss-cut knives for prototypes and short runs without tooling. Fast iteration on foams, films, and laminates from a digital file. |
| CNC Laser Cutting | No-tooling cutting for Kapton®, APTIV®, and thin films, and for fine features below 0.020″ that a die cannot hold. Tight tolerances on dielectric parts. |
| Slitting & Spooling | Precision width slitting of tapes, films, and foams to narrow rolls, with spooling and traverse-wound formats ready for automated dispensing. |
| Custom Profiling & Shaping | Skiving, splitting, beveling, and contour shaping of foams and elastomers into profiles and 3D forms beyond a flat part. |
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1Send drawing & materialShare a DXF, DWG, PDF, or STEP with the material callout, thickness, critical tolerances, and any adhesive or liner spec. A sample part works too.
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2DFM & process selectionEngineering reviews the part for manufacturability and selects the process (die-cutting, rotary, waterjet, CNC knife, laser, slitting, or profiling) against tolerance, feature size, and volume.
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3PrototypeSamples typically 3-5 business days for common configurations. Standard production 2 weeks; special orders run custom lead times. MOQ varies by material and part.
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4ProductionConverted, laminated, and finished to drawing in one coordinated workflow, with first-article inspection and lot-code traceability carried through the run.
Send the part and get a DFM review
If your drawing has the material, thickness, and critical tolerances, send it over. Engineering reviews manufacturability, selects the process, and comes back with a quote.
Converting & fabrication questions
Common questions from engineers choosing a converting process.
Which converting process is right for my part?
It depends on tolerance, feature size, material thickness, and volume. Die cutting is the lowest per-part cost for most flexible materials at production volume; rotary is best above roughly 10,000 parts; waterjet and CNC knife need no tooling and suit thick stock or short runs; laser holds fine features below 0.020″ on thin films; slitting produces narrow rolls; profiling shapes 3D forms. Send the drawing and engineering recommends the process.
Does H-O extrude profiles in-house?
H-O is a converter and die-cutter. We cut, slit, profile, and laminate engineered materials in Winsted, CT. Extruded profiles are available through our partner network as made-to-order parts with their own tooling lead time; for most flat and contoured parts, die-cutting, waterjet, or custom profiling and shaping covers the requirement in-house.
What materials can H-O convert?
687+ SKUs across 50 chemistries and 8 families: BISCO® silicone foam, PORON® and HyPUR-cel® urethanes, solid elastomers including Viton® and FFKM, Kapton®, APTIV®, and Nomex® films, EMI and thermal materials such as SSP502 and Sil-Pad®, acrylic foam tapes, adhesives, and specialty materials. Each is processed with parameters calibrated to its chemistry, grade, and thickness.
Can converted parts include adhesive backing?
Yes. Adhesive lamination is integrated in-line during die-cutting and rotary converting, using acrylic, rubber, or silicone PSAs from a 28+ SKU inventory. In-line integration holds adhesive-to-part registration and produces assembly-ready parts with configured liners: single-piece, scored split-back, peel tabs, or island placement.
Do these processes need tooling?
Die-cutting and rotary use customer-owned dies; waterjet, CNC knife, and laser run from a digital file with no tooling, which makes them well suited to prototypes and short runs. The crossover from a no-tooling process to a die is usually a few hundred to a few thousand parts, depending on material and geometry. Each process page covers tooling cost and the volume crossovers.
How are converted parts inspected?
Optical comparators for profile, digital micrometers at 0.0001″ resolution for thickness, and go/no-go gauges for holes. First articles are measured against defined inspection points; critical dimensions are tracked with SPC to a Cpk target of 1.33 for production and 1.67 for validated medical and aerospace work. Lot traceability is typically retrievable in under 2 hours for audit requests, under our ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system.
When is laser better than a die for a converted part?
When the part has fine features below about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) that a steel-rule die cannot hold, on a film or dielectric the laser can cut cleanly, or when it is a prototype or short run where avoiding tooling matters. A die is faster and more economical at volume on flexible stock; laser earns its place on fine detail and no-tooling work where the material tolerates the cut.
Related capabilities
Converting and fabrication sits inside a connected set of in-house capabilities. These pages cover the adjacent areas that often share the same program.
Applications these processes serve
The same seven converting processes supply each of these application families. Each page covers the parts, the materials, and the selection trade-offs for that job.
Application
Engineered Sealing & Gasketing
Die-cut gaskets and environmental seals in silicone.
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Application
Thermal Management & Insulation
Thermal-interface pads.
Read the page
Application
Energy, Power & High Voltage
Dielectric insulators and barrier parts in Nomex®.
Read the page
Application
NVH, Shock & Vibration Control
Damping pads, isolators, and cushioning parts and waterjet-cut from cellular urethanes and foams.
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Application
Filtration & Venting
Reticulated foam filters.
Read the page
Application
Medical & Clean Components
Precision-cut medical pads and components with controlled handling and the documentation regulated programs need.
Read the page
Last updated · Reviewed by H-O Products engineering (ISO 9001:2015 certified converter, Winsted, CT).
Standards & references
The standards, test methods, and vendor technical data sheets cited on this page. Verify current editions against the publishing body before final spec.
ISO 9001:2015
ISO 9001:2015, Quality management systems — Requirements. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva. The standard to which H-O Products maintains a certified quality management system across all seven converting processes; Clause 8.5.2 governs lot traceability.
ISO 2768
ISO 2768-1, General tolerances — Tolerances for linear and angular dimensions without individual tolerance indications. The general-tolerance reference applied across the converting processes when a dimension carries no individual tolerance; medium class m holds 6 mm to 30 mm to plus or minus 0.2 mm.
ARPM (RMA) Rubber Handbook
Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM, formerly RMA) Rubber Handbook dimensional-tolerance tables for and molded rubber, including the relationship between part size and achievable tolerance referenced in process selection.
ASTM D3330 / D3330M
ASTM D3330 / D3330M, Standard Test Method for Peel Adhesion of Pressure-Sensitive Tape. ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA. The peel-adhesion method referenced for adhesive-backed converted parts; the specified condition is a 180 degree peel at 300 mm/min, and the value is per the vendor TDS.
Source-manufacturer TDS
Material properties, thicknesses, durometer, and service-temperature ranges are taken from the source-manufacturer technical data sheets for the construction (for example Rogers BISCO silicone, Rogers PORON, DuPont Kapton). Confirm against the current vendor TDS for your specific construction before final specification.
For an accurate quote, include the following with your drawing or sample:
- DXF
- DWG
- STEP
- Material callout
- Thickness
- Critical tolerances
- Adhesive or liner spec
Request a converting quote
Send a drawing, a sample part, or a description of the part. Engineering reviews manufacturability, selects the process, and comes back with a quote.
Material data & standards. Material properties, temperature ranges, tolerances, and converting parameters referenced on this page are taken from the source manufacturers' technical data sheets and the cited industry references. H-O Products converts and these materials; we do not independently re-certify them against the standards unless explicitly stated on the quote. Achievable tolerance is geometry-, material-, and process-dependent.
Verify against your application and the vendor TDS for your specific construction. Lot-specific documentation is available on request.
Capability scope. Die-cutting, rotary converting, waterjet, CNC knife, CNC laser, slitting, custom profiling, and in-line adhesive lamination are performed in-house in Winsted, CT. Lead times and minimums vary by material, process, and construction; expedited handling can be arranged.