Rubber Bellows

Molded Rubber Bellows, dust boots and bellows covers are now the core business of BARBIERI RUBBER, a company that has specialized in their design and production for more than 60 years.

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Description

Custom Rubber Bellows — Made in Italy Manufacturer

Rubber bellows are the core business of Barbieri Rubber, an Italian company based in Reggio Emilia specialising in their design and manufacture for over 60 years. Each bellows is custom-made to meet the specific requirements of the application, ensuring protection, durability and reliability in any industrial environment.

What are rubber bellows and what are they used for?

Rubber bellows are elastic components designed to protect mechanical parts from dust, dirt, metal and wood chips, moisture, water splashes, oils, aggressive chemicals and UV radiation. Thanks to their flexibility, they adapt to repetitive movements, vibrations and temperature variations, maintaining consistent performance even in demanding operating conditions.

They are used to protect hydraulic cylinders, linear guides, piston rods and automated systems across many industries, including automotive, machine tools, hydraulics and industrial automation.

Fields of application: from industrial machinery to solar power plants

Through continuous research and development of rubber compounds and accelerated life testing, Barbieri Rubber has achieved levels of customisation and reliability that were unthinkable just a few years ago. This has opened up fields of application previously too demanding for standard bellows.

A concrete example: since 2010, Barbieri Rubber has supplied protective bellows for the Archimede thermodynamic solar power plant, followed by numerous other power plants and photovoltaic fields worldwide — from Sweden to the Sahara Desert — environments with extreme temperatures and highly abrasive contaminants.

Materials: which compound to choose?

Material Recommended application
Natural rubber (NR) High elasticity, ideal for wide movements
NBR Resistance to oils, fuels and greases
EPDM Resistance to weathering, ozone and extreme temperatures
VMQ (Silicone) High temperatures (200–300°C), food contact
CR (Neoprene) Oil/grease resistance and outdoor use
HNBR Oil/grease resistance and high temperatures (up to 170°C)
FKM (Viton®) Contact with aggressive acids

Sulphur-free and antistatic compounds are also available for use in contact with sensors and electronic control devices.

Available shapes

  • Cylindrical — for standard linear applications
  • Conical — for diameter variations along the axis
  • Rectangular — for non-circular guides and profiles
  • Modular — to achieve greater lengths or adapt to complex configurations

Frequently asked questions

Can rubber bellows transport fluids or withstand pressure? No. Rubber bellows are exclusively protective components and cannot withstand radial or axial mechanical stress or internal/external pressure differences. For fluid transport, metal bellows should be used.

How is the problem of non-standard dimensions solved? Since bellows are not standardised, finding the exact size on the market is often difficult. Barbieri Rubber solves this with its ready-to-ship modular bellows, adaptable to all dimensions within its range. For sizes outside the range, fully custom bellows can be manufactured.

Does Barbieri Rubber produce bellows for extreme environments? Yes. Thanks to special rubber compounds, Barbieri Rubber has supplied bellows for installations in environments with extreme temperatures and heavy abrasive contamination, including thermodynamic solar plants and photovoltaic fields from Nordic climates to the desert.

Additional information

Rubber bellows features – pick up here

The rubber bellow protects the internal device from dust, dirt, UV rays, sand, wood or metal chips, humidity, water sprays (or liquids in general), oils, chemicals, and other contaminants.

The rubber material remains flexible during its lifespan even in harsh environmental conditions and applications.

In more than 50 years of continuous research and development of compound formulations and accelerated life tests, Barbieri Rubber has produced unique compounds with high elasticity properties and excellent durability.

These characteristics have opened up new applications, which wouldn't have been possible with previous compounds.

In 2010, Barbieri supplied protection bellows to the Archimede solar power plant and many other power plants and solar farms around the world, such as in Sweden and in the Sahara Desert, where extreme temperatures and the presence of abrasive contaminants make installations particularly challenging.
Special rubber compounds for boots and bellows

The development of rubber materials resistant to oil, grease, fat solvents (and even some acid ones) has allowed us to use bellows to protect devices in environments strongly contaminated by lubricants and solvents: Hydraulic remote controls and distributors, hydraulic valves and brake clamps, brake pumps, hydraulic systems in general, and hydraulic cylinders.

Other applications include sensors and electronic controls, as well as pneumatic and cable remote controls which are used in less harsh conditions where only long life and sturdy mechanical features are required.
Bellows protection: Restrictions and Relative Solutions

Protection Device Only

Bellows can be used only as protection devices. They do not withstand radial and axial mechanical stress or difference in internal and external pressure. Therefore, they are not suitable for conveying fluids or protecting against crushing.

Solution: Use metal bellows (used for joining pipes), which can be adapted to any dimension. Should the dimensions of the modular bellow be out of range, you can use standard bellows or custom bellows, which will solve the problem once and for all.
Availability

Since bellows are not regulated, it is extremely difficult to find them on the market with dimensions suitable for certain specific applications. Usually, designers tend to neglect this problem. In many cases, the market cannot provide a product with the desired dimensions, so that the purchaser will often opt for the one that best suits the dimensions of their machinery. The result is that machinery comes with unacceptable solutions.

Solution: Use the modular bellow (prompt delivery), which can be adapted to any dimension. Should the dimensions of the modular bellow be out of range, you can use standard bellows or custom bellows, which will solve the problem once and for all.
Materials

The material does not affect the stroke and dimensions of the bellow. Therefore, the material must be chosen depending on the environment where it is used, this will ensure a long-lasting and efficient protection device.

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