O-rings
- September 15, 2023
Gallagher Fluid Seals is a Parker Distributor is proud to be proud to be one of the few premier distributors to qualify as a “Parker Seal Technology Center (STC)”.
Silicone Material and Processing for Life Sciences
This is the last of a three-part article series about silicone processing operations for life science applications. In the first article, we shared the versatility and unique qualities of silicone as the medical device material of choice. In part two, we covered the different methods of manufacture for medical silicone components and devices. This article discusses how design for manufacturability (DFM) aids in selecting the right manufacturing process for your medical device application.
As a full-service solutions provider, Parker CSS Division’s Life Science Business Unit provides design for manufacturability services and offers highly responsive assembly and testing of medical instrumentation — from simple electromechanical devices
- August 03, 2023
DIN 3771 O-Ring Sizing Guide
Gallagher Fluid Seals has published our newest sizing guide, the DIN 3771 O-Ring sizing chart.
Standards such as AS568, BS 1806, DIN 3771, JIS B2401, NF T47-501, and SMS 1586 were developed by national standards organizations to satisfy the needs of their national industries.
The DIN 3771 o-ring standard is issued by The German Institute for Standards (Duetsches Institut für Normung). This standard identifies O-Ring sizes by the Inner Diameter x Cross Section.
In this sizing chart, you will find both metric and actual data regarding the size of each O-Ring in the standard.
For information about how to interpret or read this chart, feel free to contact Gallagher Fluid Seals.
- June 14, 2023
What is the ZAVA® Seal Ring? Reduce Your Equipment Downtime from Seal Changes by Up to 90%
The ZAVA® Seal Ring is a split O-ring or V-ring with a patented Quick‑Lock solution that locks in minutes. Once the rubber ring is locked in place using the quick-connect coupling, it is impossible to separate.
The Quick-Lock consists of a sleeve and a pin which is locked by pushing the pin into the sleeve and pressing it together. It is made of acid-proof stainless steel (SS 2343).
Benefits of Using the Spliced O-Ring or Spliced V-Ring from ZAVA® Seal
- Ease of installation
- The ring is very easy to mount without vulcanizing
- Reduces the machinery downtime
- Reduce the time spent on swapping seals by up to 90%.
ZAVA® Seal Materials and Cross Section
ZAVA® Seal-Rings are manufactured in different lengths and cross sections and are available in NBR or AFLAS® materials.
Because so many applications are custom sizes, the
- April 26, 2023
Peroxidic-Crosslinked FKM Approved for USP Chapter 87
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies' peroxidic-crosslinked fluoroelastomer material 75 FKM 239961 now also has received pharma-specific approval according to USP Chapter 87. The result of the in vitro conformity test confirms that the material has no toxic effects on cell cultures. With this advancement, bisphenol crosslinked FKM materials can be replaced in the food industry. The immediately available high-performance material is very resistant to media and temperature and is ultrapure.
FKM has become an integral material for the process industry. It is suitable for applications under high temperatures and with aggressive media. These properties are critically important for the food and beverage as well as in the pharmaceutical industries. Those beneficial properties lead to high demand for the material and this in turn to long delivery times. The material from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies meets high purity standards and
- March 09, 2023
The PTFE Seal Challenge
The filling line at Dow AgroSciences plant in Drusenheim, France - a global leader in pest management and biotechnology products - processes aggressive solvents, surfactants and concentrated herbicides at temperatures ranging from 10 to 45 °C, and pressures from 1.5 to 3.5 bars Eff. Filling machine valves on the line were fitted with dynamic PTFE O-rings, while the machine hoses were equipped with static O-rings, also of PTFE.
Each time the mechanical maintenance team performed a clean-in-place procedure at 80 °C, or made a product change on the filler, the PTFE seals became mechanically damaged. This meant they had to change the PTFE O-rings on a daily basis, since seal lifetime never extended beyond 24 hours before replacement.
In a different application at the same plant, seals of FEP/FKM, fitted to the piston rod of a Type SRC Alfa Laval valve, failed regularly after only
- February 07, 2023
Quad-Ring vs O-Rings - What makes them better?
The O-ring is a doughnut-shaped circular cross section seal that can be used nearly anywhere in the sealing industry. The Quad-Ring™, a 100% retrofit option for any O-ring application, can and will outperform an O-ring in many technical areas.
The Quad-Ring™ has four definitive sealing advantages over an O-Ring:
- Hidden parting lines, or flash lines. The flash lines (a line of excess material where the compression mold tool comes together) on an O-ring is always on the outer most diameter, which consequently is a sealing surface. On a Quad-Ring™, that flash line is on the inside of the two outer lobes; therefore, it does not effect the sealing lips.
- The Quad-Ring™ is more stable in dynamic applications. It is also more resistant to rolling as it has a wider footprint and takes up the corners of the hardware
- January 24, 2023
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Sealing
Every year, approximately 1 in 6 people in the U.S. get sick (~48 million people), 100,000+ are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses or diseases, according to data from the CDC. Though this is largely a preventable problem, it still poses a significant public health burden.
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), enacted by Congress in 2011, is "transforming the nation’s food safety system by shifting the focus from responding to foodborne illness to preventing it."
Although one might think the
- January 20, 2023
Tech Bulletin: How to Read an ASTM D2000 Standard Callout
Here at Gallagher, our engineering team loves to help customers with their technical and application challenges.
If you are new to the sealing industry, returning after a hiatus, or just haven't needed to be in-the-know with ASTM D2000, it can be a confusing concept. That's why we put together this handy 2-page tech bulletin to give you everything you need to know about how to interpret your own ASTM D2000 callout.
This short bulletin will discuss:
- Measurement Units
- Grade Number
- Type and
- January 13, 2023
High Performance FKM Seals from Parker
The world is experiencing an unprecedented confluence of supply disruptions, and low-temperature fluorocarbon rubber polymers may be the most directly impacted. Some polymer companies have announced the discontinuation of some grades, while others are severely limited in the quantity they can produce. As a result, many seal manufacturers have announced that they need to meet customer demand for these high-performance materials.
- January 03, 2023
Application for Open Credit terms is now available when shopping on our eCommerce platform! If interested, please download, fill out, and resubmit the application form in the "Open Terms Information" tab within "My Account". You will be notified when approval and credit limit is confirmed with our team.
This post is the third installment in a three-part series that describes the three main criteria for O-ring gland design: stretch, squeeze, and volume fill. These three related components must be balanced to create the ideal conditions for O-ring sealing.
Understanding the basics of volume fill
The final essential criterion for O-ring design is volume fill, also called gland fill. The compressed O-ring must have extra space within the groove without overfilling the groove. Volume fill is the O-ring volume divided by the gland volume.