O-Rings are round cross section torus mechanical gaskets that were originally developed by J.O. Lundberg in Sweden in 1896 and later patented in the United States by Niels Christensen in 1937. An O-Ring can seal in a static or dynamic application, can be inexpensively made, are easily assembled in an application and offer resistance to very high pressures. Niels Christensen was an air brake designer for railway cars and performed a variety of studies in performance of rubber seals on piston
The story of Perfluoroelastomers begins in the 1960’s with the introduction of the first Fluorinated (FKM) elastomer by Dupont which was marketed as Viton® and offered significant improvement in chemical and temperature resistance over standard Nitrile and Neoprene elastomers. Dupont provided superior performance by substituting the highly electronegative Fluorine atom for a proportion of the Hydrogen atoms used in lower performing elastomers. Fluorine is more electronegative than Hydrogen and will remain stable with the elastomer at higher temperatures and is significantly
For applications where rubber elastomers or perfluoroelastomers cannot adequately perform, a valuable option is the use of Teflon crush seals which offer special performance advantages for difficult applications. PTFE materials are more pliable than plastics but significantly different from rubber elastomers. PTFE is a synthetic fluoropolymer composed entirely of Fluorine and Carbon atoms which was originally developed by the Dupont Chemical Company in 1938. Dupont Chemical marketed the material as Teflon and this proprietary material is now sold by the Chemours
O-Rings.com by Boyd Corporation's original information and article on this topic was recently contributed to Food Manufacturing Magazine for publication on 1/11/16. This article provides background knowledge and general guidance on the important factors to consider when using rubber seals in food or beverage applications. Food Manufacturing Magazine is dedicated to keeping Food Processing Managers, Engineering personnel and Plant Maintenance professionals fully informed about new product information, technology and processes that impact the estimated $564 Billion/yr food processing industry. O-Rings and Rubber
During the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, General Electric and other electric motor manufacturers were busy working on ways to improve the performance and miniaturize electric motors used in aircraft turbine engine starters and submarine propulsion units. Size and weight mattered and it was critical for aircraft and submarines to have the most power possible with smallest size and weight. A phenolic resin glass from the Corning glass company had been used in these motors but a superior sealing product
Rubber seal suppliers are expected to provide good information on product capabilities, availability or lead time, and, of course, meet delivery commitments; but some suppliers can offer more. O-Rings.com by Boyd Corporation has been supplying O-Rings and rubber seals through a network of rubber seal distributor partners meeting specific requirements from customers in various industries and market segments. We have found that the following industries typically use O-Rings and Rubber Seals in high volumes: Automotive – Engine Components and vehicle chassis typically require
With the trending popularity of automated business telephone answering systems, the level of true Customer Service seems to be a lost art. Remember when a real person quickly answered the phone with a friendly greeting, good product knowledge and a true desire to help…and called you by name? Remember when you asked for a person by name and you were immediately transferred to that person…not to their voicemail? Unfortunately, in an era of improving technology and employee productivity, corporate America has
Rubber products, like fasteners and other small components are typically ordered in an economical order quantity and frequently are not all used at the time of purchase. For metal fasteners like staples or bolts, this is not a problem because of the innate stability of these metallic products. In contrast, rubber seals and O-Rings are highly sensitive to temperature, humidity and many other seemingly innocent atmospheric factors that can actually have a significant effect on rubber seals. As an example, carefully
Inspection of manufactured O-Rings to verify proper molding of the rubber seal and removal of defects has occurred since O-Ring production began in the 1940’s. Early inspection processes involved visual inspection for defects identified by Mil-Std-413 which was the accepted standard for surface finish and measurable defects in the molding of O-Rings. An inspection like this allowed rubber seal manufacturers to identify problems before shipping to end-users and to measure the efficiency of their production processes. An additional inspection could be scheduled
Over the years, engineering plastics have largely replaced metal die castings due to cost savings and the broad versatility of molded plastic components. In the field of plastic products, Environmental Stress Cracking (ESC) is a common quality problem. The consequences of these failures are often severe, and frequently these failures occur only after products go into the field. (more…)