Why use metal seals? Using metal seals as an engineered sealing solution is appropriate when it’s not possible to use elastomeric or polymer seals. This will be because of extremely demanding application requirements. For example, these could include applications with extremely high temperatures (300°C upwards) and pressures, intense radiation, cryogenic conditions or highly aggressive chemicals. … Continued
Why use Push-in-Place gaskets? Where a seal groove follows an irregular path or profile, a common sealing solution is to design a custom Push-In-Place (PIP) gasket. This will have the same profile as the centre line of the groove, and simply drops into place, retained by the features of its own design. Gasket sealing overview There are … Continued
Perfluoroelastomers in valves Is it time to re-visit using perfluoroelastomer seals in your valves? First developed by DuPont™ in the late 1960s, perfluoroelastomers (or FFKMs), are now widely known and understood in a variety of markets. But for those that may be less familiar with these high performance materials, here is a quick recap… What … Continued
Seals for valve applications Valves are imperative for isolation and control functions, and can be found in a broad range of industries such as Oil & Gas, Water & Wastewater, Food & Beverage and Hydraulics & Pneumatics. We supply seal products into valve applications in a variety of styles including ball, gate, flap, plug, butterfly, … Continued
3D printing for seals 3D printing has developed significantly and now performs a crucial role in many applications. 3D printed products vary from fully functional to purely aesthetic applications – commonly for manufacturing. Here we discuss how our engineers use this technology to demonstrate a seal concept. What is 3D printing? The typically common name … Continued
3D printing has developed significantly and now performs a crucial role in many applications. 3D printed products vary from fully functional to purely aesthetic applications – commonly for manufacturing. Here we discuss how our engineers use this technology to demonstrate a seal concept.
The typically common name for additive manufacturing is 3D printing. The process involves the construction of a three-dimensional shape designed and generated from a computer aided design program (or CAD). The most typical process used for 3D printing is FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) or FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling).
The FDM process uses a continuous filament of a thermoplastic material. It’s then deposited onto the 3D print bed, creating layer by layer, gradually building up the 3D model structure. We commonly use this process to create our design and development range of 3D printed models and seal prototypes.
Material compatibility with the process is imperative and a range of thermoplastic grades are used. Typical suitable material grades include; Polylactic acid (PLA), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), Nylon and Polypropylene (PP).
The most common grade we use for 3D printing is PLA – for its great strength and stability. We’ve also adapted our design process to use more TPU based material grades, as it loosely demonstrates the same properties as elastomer grades and is better for using in prototype programmes where mechanical fit in groove is tested.
3D printing is used for a variety of designs and seal types. From O-rings, gaskets and lip seals – to grommets, multi shot mouldings and large seal assemblies.
Using 3D printing during the initial design stages of a project comes with many benefits. The rapid turnaround means a simple seal design will be produced in around 15 minutes. Additionally, even more complicated parts can be manufactured in the same day. We can even print the application housings – a perfect demonstration to an engineer what they can expect from a seal part. They will see the shape and fit for hardware without the lead time and cost of cutting a prototype tool for moulded parts.
This solution is particularly suitable for quick turnaround gasket designs. For example for automotive applications or similar critical markets. Our engineers can design the concept and then 3D print a rapid prototype of a gasket to suit a 3D printed gauge groove.
Demonstrating to our customers that the seal has been fit checked for installation, builds further confidence in the design recommendation. Our engineers combine the 3D print with FEA simulation reports to offer a fully engineered sealing solution.
Learn more about our design and simulation service HERE