Gaskets and Seals

Assess your project needs to get the right seals and gaskets for the job
By Christine Emmick Every manufacturing, food, transportation, medical facility and aircraft application requires gaskets and seals to effectively transport uncontaminated fluids from one place to another. Your project design would not be complete without a critical look at these essential elements.

When your project is in the design phase, make sure you take some time to think about how seals and gaskets affect the smooth movement of air and liquids to their proper destination. Here are some things to think about when you look at your project's gasket and seal design:

1. Determine if your application needs one of the custom suppliers of gaskets and seals to create a seal or gasket to your specs.
2. Assess what materials would work best for your design needs and approach gasket and seal manufacturers that are specialists in that material.
3. Search out project engineering assistance from your gasket and sealer manufacturer when you need specially designed gaskets and seals.
   

Determine your need for custom seals and gaskets

Some applications, including some industrial gaskets and seals, need a custom application. Die-cut, water jet cut, and specialty materials can be requested from some manufacturers that will custom make gaskets and seals to your specifications.
Try:  ACE Seal is one such company that custom cuts gaskets to your specs. You can request a quote and include your needs right on the quote form. Chamberlin Rubber Company is another manufacturer who develops gaskets and seals for all sorts of applications, including food handling and medical situations.

Work with a gasket and sealer manufacturer that specializes in the material suited for your project

Certain projects call for specialized materials. For instance, automotive gaskets and seals generally call for different materials depending where they are in the system.
Try:  National Rubber Corporation specializes in developing rubber seals for all kinds of industrial applications. Metex Corporation, however, makes static metallic gaskets specially designed to withstand the high heat of exhaust systems.

Search out suppliers of commercial gaskets and seals that aid in the engineering process

Even though you have a whole crew of designers on your project development team, you still may need additional assistance in certain specialties such as inflatable seals or industrial gaskets and sealers. When specialty designers and engineering services are integrated with gasket and seal product development, the product solution is the best it can possibly be.
Try:  Elastoproxy has a full line of products that it can customize for your project needs. This saves you time, production costs and design man hours. Seal Master Corporation has a design assistance program that helps you develop the right solution by collecting information about your project. They combine their knowledge and experience of the seals and gaskets industry with the particular needs of your project to make the best solution.

• When your project is still in development, it is good to get quotes from several different gasket and sealer manufacturers. This way you'll be bale to estimate production costs, project costs or manufacturing costs more efficiently, as well as get the highest quality for the best price.