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- May 12, 2026
The Future of Seals: Identifying and Communicating Levels of Wear
Seals do their jobs tirelessly, usually behind the scenes. Until now, machines mostly had to be dismantled to check the condition of these parts. That’s expected to change: At Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, a cross-disciplinary team is testing seals that identify and communicate their level of wear. They are based on a novel material that functions as a sensor.
It’s time for maintenance at a beverage bottling facility.
- January 08, 2026
Sealing Heavy-Duty Equipment
The seals and the hydraulic systems of any piece of mining, construction, agricultural or other heavy industry equipment operate under extreme conditions. Variable temperatures, aggressive hydraulic oils, dust and extended periods of operation place seals and their tribological systems under continuous duress. A new generation of material, 94 AU 30000, expands the boundaries for polyurethane use. This innovative compound can be used in standard cylinder applications where higher pressures, larger extrusion gaps, reduced internal friction, improved hydrolysis resistance and compatibility with bio fluids, among other factors, are important. DMRW2 hydraulic wipers made from 94 AU 30000 and sheet metal and the availability of this polyurethane as part of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ Xpress rapid replacement part service are applications discussed in the following article.
Today’s extreme environmental climates place extreme demands on the material and structure of the hydraulic seals used to maintain the performance and operation of heavy-duty equipment. The excavators, tractors, backhoes and tunnel boring machines that grind through the earth every day must work harder, longer, cleaner and more cost efficiently than ever to feed the plant, build its infrastructure and harvest its natural resources.
Sealing requirements for these machines must now include high values for tensile strength and elongation at break, resistance to oils and ozone, high elasticity and abrasion resistance. Polyurethane materials (PU) have traditionally met these industrial requirements. In comparison with elastomers, PU has a four times greater capacity for mechanical resistance, as well as outstanding resistance to ozone. At the same time, it stands up well to the stresses of mineral-based fluids.
- October 08, 2025
Smarter Seals for 2025: From Passive Barrier to Predictive Asset
Seals have long served a quiet but vital role in food and process industries: keeping contaminants out and media in. But in today’s era of Industry 4.0 and advancing material science, seals are evolving from passive components into information-rich devices. What once was a radical idea is now entering validation and early deployment phases—and the benefits extend well beyond reliability.
When this article was first written, the concept of a “smart seal” capable of self-monitoring was largely speculative. Since then, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies and others have advanced this concept significantly:
- In 2023, Freudenberg published a feasibility study confirming that a rod seal equipped with conductive and insulating elastomer layers can behave as a capacitive sensor: as wear thins the insulating layer, capacitance changes, which can be correlated to remaining service life.
- Their tests validated performance in aqueous and dry environments, confirming that the sensor function does not compromise sealing integrity.
- Freudenberg also explored applying the same principle to PTFE-based seals used under harsher conditions.
- Meanwhile, Freudenberg is pushing forward in other areas: in 2025 they introduced a pressure seal developed entirely via simulation-based methods, accelerating design cycles and optimizing geometry.
- At Drinktec 2025, Freudenberg revealed new, more sustainable and hygienic clamps and sealing systems (e.g. re-usable support rings, SmartChange clamping) and introduced novel high-performance materials like “75 HNBR 641” compatible with hygienic standards.
These developments show the shift from concept to concrete application. The idea of self-diagnosing, sensor-enabled seals is no longer just theory—it’s becoming a real option, at least in select use cases.
Predictive Maintenance, Not Just Reactive Repair
The real payoff of smart seals lies in predictive maintenance (PdM). Rather than replacing seals on a fixed schedule—or waiting until a leak occurs—operators can act when data indicate real wear thresholds. Some key advantages:
- Optimize lifetime: Use seals until just before failure risk, without premature replacement
- Reduce leakage risk: Avoided contamination, lost product, and equipment damage
- Better scheduling: Maintenance windows can be planned rather than reactive
- Data integration: Wear signals feed into overall equipment health (OEE, reliability) dashboards
In food processing specifically, AI-powered PdM tools are already using vibration, pressure, and flow signatures to detect early signs of seal degradation—even before visible anomalies arise. When a seal itself provides direct wear data, that signal becomes a strong addition to the system’s asset intelligence.
- August 19, 2020
Strict hygiene regulations in the food industry present major challenges for sealing technology. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is enhancing its proven portfolio of hygienic sealing solutions with two products that are also designed for high-pressure applications. This was made possible thanks to special design solutions and the premium elastomer and PTFE materials developed in-house.
Food processing demands strict hygiene and cleanliness standards. It’s also important to ensure that no substances can migrate from the materials coming in contact with food, which could lead to contamination of the product. With its hygienic product line, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed sealing solutions that fulfill food industry standards and are also resistant to CIP/SIP media. The Hygienic Forseal and Hygienic Pressure Seal are the newest members of this innovative product family.
One of the basic requirements for sealing solutions in accordance with the hygienic design standards is a dead-space-free construction. It prevents the collection and settling of product residues and micro-organisms in undercuts, for example. The selection of applied materials and their resistance to hot water, steam, acids, alkalis and high pressures are also relevant. Observing the deformation at the relevant temperature plays a particularly important role in detecting distortions and the associated formation of dead spaces at an early stage in the product development.
- July 01, 2020
Valves are indispensable components in the hygienically sensitive systems used in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Until now, there were no high-pressure valves available for food-product contact applications that conformed to 3-A® standards. These global hygiene standards address the design and manufacturing of components that come into contact with food.
Bardiani Valvole approached Gallagher's partner, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, for help in developing a solution to tap into its material expertise. As a result of joint cooperation, Freudenberg engineers developed a main rod seal that was both 3-A® compliant and capable of handling high-pressure of up to 2175 psi (150 bar) that the customer’s valve required. The main rod seal incorporates proven Freudenberg technology with advanced component design in an entirely new combination that is also compatible with other industrial high-pressure valves.
Prototypes produced without any tools
The 3-A® compliant main rod seal combines a sealing lip, manufactured from EPDM 302 or Fluoroprene® XP 43, with a backup ring made of PTFE. Freudenberg’s product engineers were inspired by the design of a proven shaft seal and an O-ring with a backup ring. In order to meet development and cost deadlines, the team initially produced one-off prototypes to share with Bardiani Valvole using the unique capabilities of Freudenberg Xpress®, a fast turnaround, high-quality manufacturing service that can generate custom seals in as little as a day. It offers machined seals made of original materials and original profiles for prototypes, spare parts or economical small series.
By eliminating the need to set up manufacturing tooling to produce sample parts, this results in considerable cost and time advantages for the customer. Thanks to special turning and milling techniques, individual designs can be tuned to exact specifications. The tailor-made sealing solution for the new high-pressure valve could also be produced economically in an extremely short time. The Freudenberg Xpress® Service is represented at numerous Freudenberg sites worldwide, enabling rapid delivery of spare parts, for example.
The seal’s design is free of dead space and prevents residue infiltration from process and cleaning media. It is hygienic, easier to clean, and compliant with all relevant material specifications for food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industry applications. Both materials used have very good thermal resistance and excellent mechanical properties. They also meet the demanding requirements for use in Cleaning in Place and Sterilization in Place (CIP/SIP) processes.
- February 25, 2020
In an innovative first, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has introduced a machine component that combines a plastic rotating bearing with a seal in a single, precisely matched unit.
The design offers significant weight, cost and friction advantages over separate bearings and seals and also improves the properties of the mated bearings and seals. Freudenberg has validated the advantages of this new component through extensive testing performed in a sensor housing unit including the seal-bearing
- December 18, 2019
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed an optimized design for its proven Levitorq axial thrust washers.
Through a new “scoop” feature, the enhanced Levitorq design is able to collect and push lubrication under the washer to enable higher critical speeds and enhanced performance. Levitorq is part of the company’s Low Emission Sealing Solutions (LESS) product portfolio.
- October 03, 2019
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is developing a new generation of conductive seals designed to ensure a durable electrical connection between housings and shafts while preventing bearing damage caused by electricity and electromagnetic radiation.
In many operating conditions, the shafts used in electric powertrains are electrically insulated from their housings. The insulation is created by the lubricating films in the contact zones for the bearing and the shaft
- September 12, 2019
When it comes to food, Freudenberg wants to be sure that its sealing materials are free of harmful substances.
In the food processing industry, in order to guarantee food safety, both the food and the hardware that come into contact with it must meet particularly stringent criteria. These guidelines also apply to sealing materials.
- April 18, 2019
The popularity of multi-flavor drink dispensers, those touch screen wonders that offer dozens of beverage and flavor options to consumers, has grown during the past decade. Manufacturers are installing these complex machines in venues and locations throughout the world.
Elastomers and flavor transfer
But what’s great for an individual customer – a cherry-ginger-lime cream soda, for example – can play havoc with the elastomer seals inside the machine. Add in hygienic
