With the marijuana and cannabis industry expected to take in nearly $24 billion by the end of in 2021, and more than $40 billion by 2025, the market is primed for innovation in production volume and technology.
The growth in popularity of vaporizers, infused edibles, and topical cannabis products means the demand for cannabis oil extraction is a fast multiplying industry.
The two primary means for oil extraction is via petroleum based solvents such as butane or propane, or by supercritical fluid extraction (most often carbon dioxide, or CO2).
Supercritical fluid extraction has been around for decades, and has been used in a wide variety of industries, including decaffeinating coffee and extracting essential oils. But the explosive growth and demand of the cannabis industry has raised the need for increased volume and reduced cycle time to new heights.
Our partners at Eclipse have been approached by multiple
As the operating parameters of industrial technologies and manufacturing processes get more extreme, the need for optimal sealing solutions become that much more important.
Elevated temperatures and pressures, higher speeds, extreme environments, faster gas decompression, and aggressive medias all make sealing more critical. This extends right across static, reciprocating, rotary, and oscillating applications.
This challenge has been met very effectively by the inventive addition of energizers to seals. Energized seals give the ultimate performance in the most demanding conditions and critical applications.
Spring or o-ring energizers can extend the normal limits of PTFE and plastic materials to deliver durable ultra-tight sealing capability. Here’s a rundown of how energizers work and how they can elevate your next sealing challenge.
Here we’ll discuss the basic functionality and design principles of spring energized seals and discover why one might be the perfect sealing solution in your application. This article was written by GFS supplier/partner Eclipse Engineering.
Spring energized PTFE seals perform reliably in a variety of applications where conventional elastomeric seals fail due to chemical attack, extreme heat or cold, friction, extrusion or compression set.
At Eclipse, it’s an engineer’s job to understand and weigh these limitations with the goals of the application. For example, when a customer needs an extremely low friction seal that also has very high sealability, there’s always a compromise that needs to happen.
A magical seal material that has the pliability and excellent seal characteristics of rubber, and the low-friction, high-wear resistance and temperature range of PTFE simply doesn’t