Blog
- December 23, 2025
Kalrez® Bonded Door Seals
Bonded door seals for gate valves and slit valve door seal applications provide improved sealing performance versus conventional O-rings by reducing particle generation, extending seal life, and minimizing replacement time during preventive maintenance.
DuPont™ Kalrez® bonded door seals are designed for easy installation and low particle generation. They combine a custom seal design and proprietary
- December 18, 2025
Vesconite Rudder Bearings Meet Stringent Global Class-Society Standards
- December 15, 2025
Why an Extrusion Gap is Important
“How much pressure can this seal handle?”
The answer to this question depends on a number of parameters and conditions. But the principle limiting factor in the pressure handling of any seal system is the extrusion gap.
Commonly referred to as the “E-Gap,” the extrusion gap is one of the most critical design aspects in any high-pressure application. Seal design, type, and material are all influenced by the extrusion gap and the desired pressure handling capability.
What exactly is an extrusion gap, and why is it so important in the successful design of a sealing system? Let’s find out.
The Basics: What is an Extrusion Gap?
In terms of sealing systems, the extrusion gap is defined as the clearance between the hardware components.
In a piston configuration, this would be the clearance between the piston and bore. In a rod configuration, this is the clearance between the rod and housing it’s passing through.
The extrusion gap can be expressed in terms of radial or diametral clearance, which can lead to some confusion. Our partners at Eclipse define the E-Gap by stating it as the radial clearance. The radial clearance is equal to the diametral clearance divided by two.
It’s important to note that while hardware components might be machined to have a specified clearance, this gap might not be perfectly realized or maintained.
- December 11, 2025
Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Blog.O-Ring Selection Made Easy with the Parker O-Ring Selector
Two things are equally important for the reliable performance of an O-Ring seal: the right size and the right material. Parker’s O-Ring Selector is an engineering tool that enables users to make the right material and size selections easily, quickly and reliably – in a single application. The accuracy of the results ensures the desired performance of the O-Ring in the subsequent application. This is primarily based on the fact that both functionalities – the material selection and the O-Ring size calculation – are closely interlinked. This achieves a new quality in calculating the total sealing system.
Overview of the O-Ring Selector
The Parker O-Ring Selector is divided into three main sections:
- Service Conditions & Material Selector
- Size Selector
- Notes
The Service Conditions & Material Selector section is focused on mapping the material-related application conditions. Entering the operating temperature range, the desired polymer family and/or material hardness will take the user to the suitable material selection. The Advanced Material Selector enables experienced users to specify the operating conditions in even greater detail. Here the medium to be sealed can be selected from a database containing 2,500 media. In addition, a search for required approvals and conformities can be run.
- December 08, 2025
Parker's ProTech™ Bearing Isolator Seals
- December 04, 2025
Why Swivel Arm Repairs Fail: The Hidden Role of Flange Seal Engineering
At LNG export and import terminals, swivel arms are among the most relied-on pieces of equipment during loading and unloading. When they operate as intended, they enable smooth movement, controlled flow, and safe transfer of product. When they don’t, downtime adds up fast.
Yet even with stringent maintenance schedules and skilled repair teams, swivel
- December 02, 2025
Vesconite Rudder Bearings Reduce Wear
Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina - The waters of the Parana River tend to be wide and deep, with significant suspended debris and sand. Due to these abrasive conditions, rudder bearings on tug boats operating on the river are susceptible to rapid wear. The result is frequent dry docking for repairs. In response, Vesconite bushings have been successfully fitted to 20 tug boats working the Parana River. The combination of exceptionally low wear, self-lubrication and easy installation makes it an ideal material for this application.
Vesconite for Marine Applications
Vesconite, and Vesconite Hilube in particular, are ideal for the submerged and corrosive conditions of the marine industry. Suited to both dry and underwater applications, Vesconite’s internal lubricants allow for prolonged life where the setting is characterized by irregular greasing schedules, or no greasing at all. Unlike most bearing materials, Vesconite offers long wear life and a high load-bearing capacity with no distortion or delamination, despite the wet and abrasive working environment. Vesconite is easily removed and refitted, saving in costly downtime.
- November 25, 2025
Garlock Style 215 Helps Steel Products Manufacturer With Harsh Acids
Garlock Style 215 Expansion Joints are PTFE concentric spool-type flexible couplings that are designed to reduce noise and compensate for expansion, contraction, and minor piping misalignment in chemical processing, air conditioning, and heating systems.
The complete assembly includes a fluorocarbon resin PTFE body, electroless nickle-plated ductile iron flanges, polyethylene-covered restriction zinc plated bolts, and stainless steel corrosion-resistant reinforcing rings.
Case Study
INDUSTRY
Primary Metals
CUSTOMER
South American manufacturer of flat and long steel products
BACKGROUND
Construction of two new facilities including a hot rolling mill.
CHALLENGES FACED
The plant was in need of expansion joints that could handle chemicals on their pickling lines. Pickling is a metal surface treatment used to remove impurities, such as stains, inorganic contaminants, rust or scale from ferrous metals. A solution called pickle liquor, which contains strong acids, is used to remove the surface impurities. It is commonly used to clean steel in various steel making processes. The line required an expansion joint with a PTFE tube to handle the pickle liquor which included hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, but a very short overall length for installation.
- November 24, 2025
Freudenberg Sets New Standards With Innovative BPAF-Free Sealing Solutions
Weinheim, November 24, 2025. In accordance with EU Directive 2024/3190, a Europe-wide ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) and its derivatives took effect on January 20, 2025. This decree applies to all industrial companies that produce, market or use materials that come into contact with food. The ban is based on comprehensive studies
- November 20, 2025
Fluid Power Seals for Pneumatic Cylinder Systems
Fluid power seals used in pneumatic cylinder systems represent some of the most overlooked, yet vital components in its construction and operation. Without these rubber seals – or if using inferior seals – the friction and leakage created by the process of using a pneumatic cylinder application could cause the equipment to catastrophically fail, risking severe damage and injury, and requiring great cost to repair or replace.
Gallagher Fluid Seals' partner, Precision Associates, has innovated to create our own unique and patented compounds for rubber pneumatic piston seals—suitable for all sorts of pneumatic applications. These U-Cups are designed to function with vastly lower breakaway and operating friction than any similar product in the marketplace.
What Are Pneumatic Cylinder Systems?
Utilizing compressed gas as a power source, mechanical pneumatic cylinders produce a reciprocating linear motion force. Like hydraulic cylinders, this force drives a piston in the required direction and the piston is usually a disc or cylinder. The corresponding rod transfers the force it creates to the object requiring movement. Engineers often choose pneumatic cylinders over other methods due to pneumatics being quieter, producing less waste, and requiring significantly less amounts of space for fluid storage.
Pneumatic cylinders can vary in configuration, but generally fit into one of three specific categories:
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