Sealing failures aren’t only a major headache, they can be extremely costly when you consider replacement costs, lost production time, wasted product due to the risk of contamination, and the time spent by maintenance staff to find and replace the seal. Unfortunately, this can be a very common issue when you utilize the wrong seal for your equipment. With every application having unique requirements, it can be challenging to pick the right seal to reliably perform at a high level. A large global manufacturer that specializes in health and well-being enhancement products was having just this issue with regularly facing significant challenges with the seals of their centrifugal equipment.
Used to separate partials by their density from fluids, gases, and solids, this equipment spins incredibly fast typically at 100 to 200 plus revolutions per minute (RPMs).
Thanks to the combination of elastomers capable of withstanding extraordinarily high thermal loads and a friction-optimized sealing lip, the energy-saving seal (ESS) enables the power loss in drive assemblies to be greatly reduced.
The radial shaft seal ESS improves sealing performance by reducing friction between the seal lip and crankshaft through a reduction in radial load of 50% when compared to sprung rubber lip seals and 75% when compared to PTFE lip seals.
Not only does the
Electric cars with lithium-ion batteries have a range that is suitable for everyday use and require a high degree of safety. Various safety measures are being implemented to make sure that any thermal runaway of the battery is prevented or delayed. So far, plastic components used for this purpose have generally failed to meet the automotive industry’s strict test standards for electric drives. This is different with Quantix ULTRA from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies: The new material class can withstand very high temperatures. It does not melt or ignite. In laboratory tests, a two-millimeter-thick material sample can even resist an applied flame with a temperature of 2,192 degrees Fahrenheit for over 25 minutes.
Further tests simulate the emission of hot particles under high pressure, which can occur if the gases in battery cells are abruptly discharged. Quantix ULTRA withstands the stress test for 20 seconds. A two-millimeter-thick
Often times people think that a seal is just a seal or that the materials don't matter, but this is far from the truth. No two sealing materials are exactly the same and have their own unique characteristics that make one material perfect for a specific application while another could completely fail. Materials are truly the foundation of every seal and can't be overlooked when you are considering what kind of seal to use. When you are working in the food and beverage industry and are exposed to challenging conditions and extremely strict purity standards the materials become even more significant. When you are working with a specialized application like a bottling line you want your seal manufacturer to be a true expert, this is where Freudenberg Sealing Technologies' long history of developing highly specialized materials sets them apart.
Today’s industry can no longer get around the use of cobots, also known as collaborative robots. These flexible, fast machines work hand in hand with people in many activities. One of the key requirements is that they must be adaptable enough for use in different work environments, and not just handle a range of tasks. Robots used in a welding cell today, for example, should be able to work on a packaging line a week from now. This puts significant demands on the application profile for the popular manufacturing helper.
That’s why one manufacturer was looking for a sealing solution to protect all its cobots’ joints from dust, spraying water and other contamination reliably and over the long haul. Simple PTFE rings have been used to this point so efficiency, energy consumption and the robotic arms’ speed of motion are not overly compromised. However, the rings were
Bottling lines allow manufacturers to rapidly fill thousands of bottles perfectly making them a key element in food & beverage manufacturing facilities. While this equipment is incredibly efficient and has allowed manufacturers to greatly increase production, it offers some unique challenges for sealing solutions. Seals experience rapid and repetitive movements, challenging media, and are required to meet high purity standards often set by the FDA.
With these demanding applications and strict requirements, sealing manufacturers need a lot of expertise and specialized materials/ designs. Today we are going to highlight our Distributor Fredenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and their brand of Freudenberg seals designed specifically for bottle filling and process industry applications.
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies announced they developed special, innovative seals that are in high demand for solar energy facilities.
The groove profile in the customer‘s plastic application proved to be a challenge for the seal’s design. Available tolerances and specific installation spaces had to be taken into account. “We were looking for the right material as we proceeded with calculations and simulations,” recalled Ralf Schmid, Senior Vice President, Special Sealing Division at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. In the end, the company’s expertise in engineering and materials won the day – all the more because the sealing rings were designed for an operating life of 30 years. “We developed the optimal product at the optimal cost, eliminating the customer’s concerns relating to a critical
In appliances used for water purification and carbonated water, the valve of a carbon dioxide cartridge and the pressure-reducing valve on the device itself must be joined with a secure seal. Now, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed a patented, high-performance polyurethane seal for a customer that has a specific geometry that not only accommodates different valve dimensions on the various gas cartridges, but also offers high impermeability under long-lasting pressure.
Drinking water is heavily contaminated in many countries around the world: Pollutants such as microplastics, bacteria,
Freudenberg’s new development for the vulcanization of chloroprene rubber eliminates the need for ethylene thiourea (ETU) as an accelerator – while still meeting the strict requirements of the automotive industry. With this innovation, the company follows its own sustainability goals and also sets a benchmark for new elastomer compounds.
Using ethylene thiourea (ETU) as an accelerator in the vulcanization of chloroprene rubber is standard in the industry. Products with this accelerator have been used successfully for decades and show very good values in terms of low-temperature flexibility as well as the required resistance to media such as greases and lubricants. Due to the risk of reproductive toxicity and its damaging effect on fruit, however, ethylene thiourea should no longer be used if its omission is technically and economically feasible. But so far there have been no alternatives that offer a similar performance or even met the requirements.
In many countries, the expansion of renewable energy is an imperative. To ensure the energy transition’s success, it will be crucial to transport the electricity generated in hydroelectric plants and in solar and wind farms to consumers with minimal energy loss. New electric power lines are now expected to supplement those already in existence. After all, more energy from windy coastlines has to travel deep into the interior. Distribution stations and substations are part of these high-voltage networks. They connect overhead power lines, which transmit electricity at more than 110,000 volts, with local distribution networks that operate at low voltages. Substations can be designed more compactly with completely encapsulated, gas-insulated switchgear as opposed to those using ambient air. Accordingly, gas-insulated switchgears can be used in buildings in a space-saving manner, which is important in urban areas. When electric circuits are switched