Rubber Gaskets And Seals Crucial Components In Industrial Applications

Environmental factors greatly influence the type of material best suited for a gasket or seal application

. The rubber gaskets and seals are manufactured with various production methods that include die cutting for flat gaskets, compression molding, extrusion molding and injection molding.

Rubber gaskets and seals perform as crucial components in a number of applications for the prevention of leakage of liquids, vapors, air or gases. Gaskets work to seal the seam between two stationary components with flat mating surfaces. The seals are used where there is a dynamics repetitive motion between assembly parts. The gaskets and seals also have to protect the products from various environmental conditions that they may be exposed to. There are a few important differences that the user should know before selecting the right type of gasket or seal for their facility.

Designing:

The initial compression, opening and closing characterize type of gaskets. The gasket should be made from a material that has some degree of yielding, should tightly fill the space and cover up minor irregularities. Sometimes, a sealant may be used with gasket surface so that it functions properly. The compression pressure on the gasket is in a vertical direction. The rubber will not squeeze on compressions or decrease in volume, but it will only deform. The design should not be intricate as it will affect the tooling and production cost. It is important to consider the material and the manufacturing process while designing and suggest the best and economical method to use in order to meet the customers' requirements.

Designing gaskets is relatively complex due to varying levels of stress on the rubber depending on the use. Important factors to think about include compression, temperature variation, distortion, the speed of recovery after compression, tensile and physical strength and tear resistance. Also, environmental factors greatly influence the type of material best suited for a gasket or seal application. The designer has to consider the function and motion; extreme temperatures; UL or other specifications; heat resistance, exposure to chemicals and gases; organic materials; bio-compatibility including resistance to fungus, odor, tastelessness; electrical and RF requirements; exposure to water, ozone, and sunlight and ultraviolet rays

Materials:

There are different grades of rubber and silicone for the manufacture of gaskets and seals to function in an extensive range of applications and in specific environments. Silicone types include food grade and medical grade and fluorosilicone. The varieties of rubber include Nitrile, NBR, Buna N Elastomer, etc.

Manufacturing:

Rubber gaskets and seals are manufactured with various production methods that include die cutting for flat gaskets, compression molding, extrusion molding, and injection molding. There is a need to manufacture proper dies and molds for these processes as well. The die cutting tools are less costly. However, the molds are expensive. The best process can be selected based upon the material, intricacy of design and the volume of production.

Standards:

The rubber or silicone seals can be designed to meet various quality standards including customer specification, International Protection Rating (IP) and for UL Certification. The IP rating is an industry standard that classifies the degree of protection against water, dust, and solids. UL's certification for gaskets and seals involves various test procedures as well as performance criteria for the assessment of gasket and seals for use as components of end-products. Many UL certified end products include devices for specific end use.

by: Bob DuPont

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