Article re-posted with permission from Parker Hannifin Sealing & Shielding Team.
Original content can be found on Parker’s Blog.
The O-Ring & Engineered Seals Division is now offering a rapid prototype program for solid and hollow spliced O-rings that will reduce lead times on small orders to improve sample and trial testing on enclosure projects. The program provides spliced rings available in a variety of cross sections and can be purchased in either solid or hollow profiles.
Spliced ring sizes
In the event that enclosure tolerances are large or the available compressive force is low, Parker engineers can design a custom hollow seal to help absorb large tolerances while providing very low compressive force compared to solid cord. Spliced rings with large inside diameters up to 95” are available in silicone and nitrile materials. Rings with inside diameters up to 57” are available in fluorocarbon. Cross sections of .070”, .103”, .139”, .210” .250” are regularly stocked and available to splice to the ring ID needed. The chart below outlines the current compounds, cross sections, and diameters available under the program.
Speed wins
A short, two-week delivery time provides accelerated design validation prior to production launch. On large projects where customers require confirmation that the ring ID will properly fit the application and provide the needed compression force, the Rapid Prototype Program can reduce the overall lead time – increasing the chance of success. To learn more about this new program, contact your local Parker distributor.
What is extruded and spliced?
Parker utilizes a hot vulcanizing bonding process to splice our rings. Our bonding material is the same base polymer as the extrusion, giving it equal chemical resistance and physical properties of the seal.
Precision extruded and spliced products offer cost-effective sealing solutions for many applications. These include low closure force seals, large diameter seals that cannot be molded, or requirements for hollow O-rings, non-standard O-rings and other extruded profiles with an inside diameter larger than 2.500 inches.
Spliced and fabricated seals offer the designer a tremendous amount of flexibility for challenging applications. Products can be vulcanized from a variety of solid and hollow cross-sections. Due to the low tooling cost and flexibility of the extrusion process, customer profiles can easily be designed to specific application needs.
Extruded and spliced products are available in the following material types: silicone, nitrile (Buna-N), EPDM/EPR, HNBR, fluorosilicone, fluorocarbon, and FFKM. Specialty approved materials are also available that are certified to UL (UL 94 V-0 and UL 157), USP Class VI and FDA white listed materials.
Advantages of Parker’s extruded and spliced product:
- Precision extrusion tolerances
- Exclusive use of quality sealing grade materials
- Superior hot vulcanization capability (High bond integrity)
- Low closure force sealing solutions
- Ease of adjusting closure force by adjustment of cross-section design, cross-section I.D., or durometer
- Hollow cross sections are excellent replacements for foam or sponge gaskets, offering superior compression set resistance.
- Interference -fit designs available for ease of installation without use of adhesive
- Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) backed extrusions available for flat panel sealing applications.
- Low-cost option for static face or radial seal O-rings over 2.500" I.D.
- Can be used in standard or non-standard grooves
For more information on the benefits of hollow and solid spliced seals, visit Parker's website and chat with an engineer today!
This article was contributed by Wesley Burcham, Market Manager, Parker O-Ring & Engineered Seals Division.
Source: http://blog.parker.com/rapid-prototype-program-reduces-seal-project-lead-time