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How to Spec Vibration Isolation and Acoustic Parts: What to Send H-O for a Quote
Isolation and acoustic parts attract underspecified RFQs because the geometry looks trivial: a square pad, a washer, a foam panel. What the quote actually prices is the duty: the load that will sit on the pad for decades, the path the vibration takes around it, the room the noise has to stay out of, and the line that has to apply five hundred little washers an hour.
This is the ten-item checklist the H-O applications team works from for base pads, cushioning, anti-rattle parts, and acoustic layers, drawn from the parent application page's own engineering-review list, plus what engineering does with each item and what comes back.
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The ten things to send, and what each decides
| Send this | What it decides |
|---|---|
| 1. Equipment class, supported mass, and pad footprint | The load band, which picks the material set before any other property: dense rebonded, cork, and bearing constructions for tons; precision microcellular polyurethanes for grams to kilograms. |
| 2. Mounting method | Free-standing on base pads, bolted through the pad, or adhesive-mounted. Bolted mounts need the matched isolation set (pad, sleeve or grommet, washer) so the bolt does not bypass the elastomer. |
| 3. Thickness and alignment context | The deflection window: thickness chosen so the working deflection is real, thicker where load or alignment tolerance demands it, with the operating point aimed mid-window. |
| 4. Sustained-load duty | Whether the part is loaded for decades, which makes the creep and compression-set lines (ASTM D395 and the D1056 suffix methods) the first read on the TDS. |
| 5. Environment: oil, ozone, temperature, washdown | The chemistry filter: neoprene families for oil mist, ozone-tested chemistries outdoors, cork composites indoors; the wrong-chemistry candidates eliminate themselves. |
| 6. Flammability class, if the assembly is classed | The grade whose TDS carries the class: HF-1 vinyl nitrile grades, the V-0-classed 4701-series member, HF-1 reticulated versions, with the TDS kept in the order file. |
| 7. The right firmness metric | Shore A per ASTM D2240 for solids; compression-deflection grade per ASTM D1056 / D3574 for cellular materials. The two do not convert, and the correct metric makes the returned quotes comparable. |
| 8. Acoustic duty, split honestly | Absorption (open-cell reticulated or polyether foam, by PPI and thickness) and blocking (mass-loaded barrier) are different jobs; most real treatments laminate both, and occupied rooms add the FST lines (E162 / E662 where reported). |
| 9. Geometry and liner presentation: DXF, STEP, or PDF | The die program and the line speed: anti-rattle washers and strips kiss-cut on liner, piece counts per assembly, PSA where adhesive mounting was chosen. |
| 10. Prototype and production volumes | Converting method and price structure. Every part is made to order; prototype quantities through full production runs are equally accepted, and MOQ varies by material and part. |
What engineering does with the list
Item 1 sorts the set: rebonded neoprene, rubberized cork, or the Atlas bearing line for the heavy band; PORON or HyPUR-cel for the light band; SAE pressed felt, thin PORON, and cork for buzz-and-rattle interfaces. Item 2 adds the bolt-isolation set where the mount is bolted. Items 3 and 4 size thickness and screen the set lines; items 5 and 6 filter chemistry and class. Item 7 fixes the callout metric so quotes are comparable.
Item 8 splits the acoustic duty: reticulated or polyether absorber, A2 mass-loaded barrier, or the laminated pair as one part. Items 9 and 10 become the die program, the liner presentation, and the price structure, and the reply cites each recommended grade's TDS values with the method named.
What happens after you send it
- Drawing review. Engineering reviews the load band against the vendor TDS: compression-deflection grade, creep and set behavior, environment, and any flammability class required.
- Material direction and quote. A family and grade direction with the TDS attached, the converted format (die-cut pads, matched bolt-isolation sets, kiss-cut washers on liner, acoustic laminations), and pricing at your quantities.
- Samples. Typically 3 to 5 business days for common die-cut configurations on materials we keep on hand.
- Production. Standard runs ship about two weeks after drawing approval, including PSA-laminated and multi-layer acoustic configurations; expedited service is available. Ongoing parts run with material traceability and lot-code TDS records.
Documentation available on request: material technical data sheet, certificate of conformance, lot traceability, and first-article inspection, under our ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system. H-O die-cuts and converts sheet, roll, and bun stock; we do not mold isolation mounts, and no numeric isolation prediction is made for any design: operating points are checked against the grade's compression-deflection data on its TDS.
The mistakes this checklist prevents
| Spec mistake | What it causes | Checklist item that catches it |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry-only RFQ | A quote for a square of foam, not an isolation part; the load band goes unreviewed | Item 1 |
| Firmness by feel | Soft foam crushed solid, or a firm pad that never deflects; both transmit | Items 1, 3, and 7 |
| Bolted straight through the pad | The bolt is a rigid bypass; the pad isolates only what crosses it | Item 2, the matched set |
| Set ignored on a thirty-year load | The pad creeps flat and the hum returns between surveys | Item 4 |
| "40 durometer foam" on the drawing | A category error procurement cannot fill and suppliers fill wrong | Item 7 |
| Absorption bought when blocking was needed | The room is lined with foam and the neighbors still hear the generator | Item 8 |
Frequently asked questions
What information does H-O need to quote an isolation or acoustic part?
The drawing (DXF, STEP, or PDF) or a sample part, plus the duty context: the equipment and its supported mass over the pad footprint, the mounting method, the environment (oil, ozone, temperature band, washdown), any flammability class the assembly requires, and for acoustic parts whether the job is absorption, blocking, or the laminated pair. Every part is made to order; lead times are confirmed with your quote.
Does H-O mold isolation mounts, or convert sheet materials?
H-O die-cuts and converts. We take sheet, roll, and bun stock from the foam, cork, felt, and elastomer manufacturers and die-cut, kiss-cut on liner, slit, and laminate it to your drawing: base pads, matched bolt-isolation sets, anti-rattle washers and strips, and absorber-on-barrier acoustic laminations as one part. We do not mold isolation mounts; molded or extruded shapes are a different supply chain, and our review will say so when a drawing calls for one.
Can you cross-reference the isolation material on my print?
In most cases, yes. If your drawing calls out a foam, cork, felt, or bearing material by a brand grade, engineering identifies a comparable family from the lines we convert, matching on the correct metric (Shore A per ASTM D2240 for solids, compression-deflection grade per ASTM D1056 / D3574 for cellular), set behavior, environment, and any flammability class. It is an industry cross-reference, not a guaranteed drop-in, verified against the vendor TDS before quoting.
What lead time should I expect for isolation samples and production?
Every isolation and acoustic part is made to order, including samples. Samples typically ship in 3 to 5 business days for common die-cut configurations on materials we keep on hand; standard production runs ship about two weeks after drawing approval, including PSA-laminated and multi-layer acoustic configurations; expedited service is available. MOQ varies by material and part, and prototype quantities through full production runs are equally accepted.
Send the checklist, get an isolation-part quote
Attach the geometry and as many of the ten items as you have. The supported mass over the available footprint is the single most useful line you can send.
Samples typically ship in 3 to 5 business days for common die-cut configurations on materials we keep on hand; standard production runs about two weeks after drawing approval; expedited service is available. MOQ varies by material and part.
Family-owned in Winsted, Connecticut since 1971 · ISO 9001:2015 certified · OEMs worldwide send us a drawing — and get back their part.
Related reading
ApplicationVibration, Shock & Acoustic ControlRead → Sub-applicationHVAC Vibration & Acoustic ControlRead →
GuideRebonded Neoprene, Cork, Bearing Pads, or PORON: Choosing Vibration Isolation and Acoustic MaterialsRead →
GuideWhy Isolation Pads Stop Working: Load Band, Deflection Window, Creep, and the Durometer TrapRead →
IndustryElectromechanical & Switchgear hubRead →
Request a quote for your vibration, shock & acoustic part
Send H-O your drawing or describe the part—engineering reviews every RFQ and converts samples on your geometry.
Last updated · Reviewed by H-O Products engineering (ISO 9001:2015 certified converter, Winsted, CT).
References
- ASTM D1056 and ASTM D3574 (compression-deflection grade systems for cellular materials); ASTM D2240 (Shore durometer, solids).
- ASTM D395 (compression set) and the D1056 suffix methods; ASTM D2632 (resilience); ASTM D2475 / D461 (felt).
- UL 94 (flammability classes, per grade); ASTM E662 / E162 and FAR 25.853-type data (FST lines for occupied rooms, as reported on the relevant TDS).
- Manufacturer technical data sheets for the rebonded neoprene, cork, bearing-pad, PORON, HyPUR-cel, felt, reticulated foam, and sound-barrier grades named on the parent application page.
This checklist supports a quotation workflow; it does not constitute design guidance for any specific installation, and no numeric isolation prediction is made for any design. Operating points are checked against each grade's compression-deflection data on its current technical data sheet at quote time. All parts are custom manufactured to order; minimum production run quantities vary by material and part. H-O is a die-cut converter, not a raw-material producer, and does not mold isolation mounts.