Gaskets, in general, are mechanical seals that fill up the spaces and any irregularities between two or more mating objects. They are often installed to prevent leakage from or into these objects during their use. Most of the time, gaskets are utilised in connecting flanges that are often found in pipes, valves, pumps, and other similar equipment pieces.

Many industries utilise gaskets due to their accompanying benefits. They are known for their flexibility, ensuring that the flanges will be extremely secured from any leakage instances. Gaskets are likewise strong and durable, given that the materials used in creating them can resist weather elements and other variables present during their use and application. They can also fit any flanges, as long as the correct type and material of gaskets are installed and utilised.

As previously stated, a lot of industries utilise gaskets for their applications. Some industries that take advantage of gaskets are as follows:

Automotive Industry

The automotive industry often utilises gaskets within the combustion areas of the engines. The industry likewise maximises gaskets as the primary sealing for seat fillers. For this specific industry, the gaskets that are being used are often resistant to fuel and oil. They are likewise resistant to heat and combustion as automotive parts typically operate at extreme temperatures. The gaskets used for the automotive industry are normally made from silicone, nitrile, Viton, and cork composite.

Chemical Industry

Another industry that maximises gaskets is the chemical industry. Since this industry typically conducts various chemical processes, it must utilise gaskets that can withstand the effects of gases and liquids. The gaskets that the industry maximises must also be durable enough to prevent spillage or leakage, ensuring that the chemical plants and laboratories will remain safe throughout their operations. Some gasket materials that they use include nitrile, Viton, silicon, and polytetrafluoroethylene.

Food Processing Industry

Since food and beverages will be consumed by people, the industry that processes them must utilise gaskets that will not allow bacteria to grow. The industry must also use gaskets that can resist harmful environmental elements from damaging the food products as well as prevent these products from sustaining unpleasant taste and odour. Rubber and industrial gaskets are often used in equipment pieces that are involved in food processing, ensuring that the food products will be safe to consume.

Oil and Gas Industry

Since liquids and gases are common in the oil and gas industry, gaskets must be used to prevent them from leaking and causing catastrophic damages. They are also used to ensure that liquids and gases will not cause any harmful effects to the environment. Since the processes of the oil and gas industry often yield high temperature and high pressure, the gaskets used for the industry should be able to withstand these elements. Gaskets made from composite materials are often maximised in this industry.

If you need to gain access to long-lasting and quality gaskets, feel free to reach us at Gasketech.

There are a lot of tools and equipment pieces that maximise gaskets for sealing purposes. After all, gaskets can easily fill the space between two or more mating objects. Their primary function allows the tools and equipment pieces to maintain their operations and form factors intact and be protected from leakage-related issues and problems. 

But the effectiveness of the gaskets can only be achieved if they are installed properly. Failure to install them properly can cause unwanted downtimes, loss in revenues, and concerns about safety and security. Fortunately, some practices can be followed to ensure the proper installation of gaskets. 

Some of the best practices for gasket installation are the following:

Clean the Sealing Surface

Before the installation of new gaskets, the very first thing that must be done is the clean the surface where they will be installed. After the removal of the old gasket, you must clean and remove any foreign material and debris that can be found from the sealing surface. Cleaning the said surface can be done through a wire brush. You must avoid using a grinder, hammer and chisel, or any other abrasive materials in cleaning the surfaces as they might only cause more damages.

Check the Sealing Face

Once the sealing surface is cleaned, you must now check and examine the condition of your sealing face and the flange. During this step, you can now check and examine if the sealing face has some sort of dents, dings, mars, or pitting. As long as these elements are present, they can easily cause troubles along the way. Even the fasteners like bolts, nuts, and washers must be checked to know if they already have burrs, cracks, and defects. Replacing components that have damages would be the best thing to do.

Align the Flanges Correctly

Another practice that enables the proper installation of gaskets is to align the flanges correctly. The flanges must be parallel when installing the gasket so that the maximum load will stay consistent and uniform. You must not, however, overtighten the bolts to avoid causing damages to the flanges. Pry bars and screwdrivers must likewise be avoided when aligning the flanges. A professional help, ultimately, can be good if the system requires more than normal force in keeping the flanges together.

Check and Install the Gaskets

Once the flanges are aligned, you must now proceed with the installation of the gaskets. But before installing them, you must first check and assess the condition of the gaskets. The gaskets that you should only use must be free of defects and do not contain rips or tears. After assessing your gasket, you must now insert it between the flanges, ensuring that it is precisely centred. Release agents or joint compounds must not be used during difficult or horizontal installations to avoid encountering some problems.

After the gaskets are installed, the load-bearing surfaces must be lubricated effectively. The bolts must also be installed and tightened. If you need some gaskets for your applications, just contact us at Gasketech. We are a manufacturer and supplier of gaskets and sealing washers, extrusions, and mouldings that can be very useful for all industries.

Sealing materials such as gaskets can be very useful in filling up the space between the surfaces of two or more joined components. Once gaskets are installed, fluid and other elements are ensured to not escape or enter the assembly anymore. The assembly, with the integration of reliable and high-quality gaskets, can remain intact throughout its operations and service life.

There are a lot of materials available in producing and manufacturing sealing materials. One of the materials is neoprene. Neoprene is a type of synthetic rubber that is manufactured through the polymerisation of chloroprene. Generally, this specific material has good chemical stability, making it very useful for manufacturing cable jackets, tubing, gasoline hoses, and other similar products.

Properties of Neoprene Sealing Materials

Neoprene sealing materials boast a lot of notable properties.

One of the known properties of neoprene sealing materials is that they are elastic. The elastic property of neoprene sealing materials allows it to stretch and fit comfortably to different materials. They can even conform to a wide array of sizes and shapes, making them very useful in flexible applications. Aside from their elastic property, neoprene sealing materials also have a cushioning property. This property alone enables them to absorb shock and vibration.

Another property of neoprene sealing materials is that they have high tensile strength. Neoprene materials themselves typically have a tensile strength of 900 to 1,000 PSI. And once they are mixed with other materials, they can effectively resist damaging elements such as abrasion, chemicals, combustion, grease, oil, oxidation, sunlight, temperature, weather, and water.

Neoprene sealing materials can withstand extreme temperatures. Their elongation can even range from 350% to 400%, while their hardness ratings ranging between 40 and 80. Lastly, neoprene sealing materials are impermeable, which can prevent the escape and entry of liquids and even gases from and to the involved surfaces of an assembly.

Applications of Neoprene Sealing Materials

Given the properties of neoprene gaskets, industries such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, lighting, HVAC, and medical all utilise them as their main sealing material. Neoprene can be utilised by these industries either for static or dynamic sealing. Static sealing involves the installation of gaskets in stationary applications, while dynamic sealing entails the installation of the gaskets between moving and stationary surfaces. The use of neoprene sealing materials in dynamic sealing can help retain or separate fluids, prevent ingress of particles, and effectively contain pressure.

Some of the most notable applications of neoprene sealing materials include pump impellers, hydraulic systems, doors, and windows.

Neoprene Gaskets Available at Gasketech

If you need neoprene sealing materials for your applications, just give us a call at Gasketech. We are a manufacturer and supplier of gaskets and sealing washers, extrusions, and mouldings for all industries. We can effectively offer economical yet technically advanced sealing materials for tons of applications. We are likewise ready to discuss sealing and leakage problems, as well as the servicing and supply of gaskets for imported and local machinery working in local conditions.

Gaskets are mechanical seals that can effectively fill the space between two or more objects. They are often maximised to prevent any instance of leakage from or into the combined objects while they are being compressed. They are likewise utilised to fill all the irregularities between the mating objects.

One type of gaskets that is utilised by many industries is the ring-type gasket. Applications that pertain to oilfield drilling, pressure vessel connections, pipes, and other similar things maximise ring-type gaskets since they can effectively work in high temperature and high-pressure environments. The benefits of ring-type gaskets can even be amplified once they are manufactured out of polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE.

PTFE ring gaskets have their own set of pros and cons that you should know and consider. 

Pros of Using PTFE Ring Gaskets

Cons of Using PTFE Ring Gaskets

Even with these disadvantages, PTFE ring gaskets are still preferred by many industries due to their excellent features. And so, to obtain your own PTFE ring gaskets, just give us a call at Gasketech. We are a manufacturer and supplier of gaskets and sealing washers, extrusions, and mouldings for all industries. We can offer economical yet technically advanced sealing materials for your applications.

Gaskets are mechanical seals that can effectively cover the intersection and fill the space between two or more surfaces. As they cover the space between the surfaces, they can easily cut the effects of vibration, noise, sound, and other elements that could cause issues on specific parts and products. Their efficient sealing likewise makes these gaskets recommended for a lot of industries.

Some of the industries that maximise gaskets include automotive, aerospace, chemical processing, mining, military, oil & gas, and power generation. One common element with these industries is that they all have delicate environments and surroundings. Fortunately, gaskets can withstand all the damaging elements that may be present in these industries thanks to their material composition.

Another factor that could help gaskets withstand elements and obtain great service life is the way they are installed. Following proper gasket installation procedures can guarantee them a better service life.

Flange Alignment

Before inspecting and installing the gaskets to their specified locations, the flanges must be aligned first to effectively provide maximum seating stress for the gaskets. Alignment of the flanges can also ensure that the gaskets will have a more optimum service life. The faces of the flange should be aligned to make them parallel with the bolt holes. Make sure that the force provided will be kept at an optimal level to avoid causing issues with the installation of the gaskets.

Proper Inspection

Before the installation of the gaskets to their intended locations, they must be checked and inspected first. The gaskets must be inspected whether their surfaces are free from foreign materials or debris. The specified size, material, and type of the gaskets must also be examined first to avoid any compatibility issues with their intended installation location. Aside from the gaskets, proper inspection should likewise be conducted to the contact surfaces to ensure that everything will fit accordingly.

Right Positioning

Another installation procedure that must be conducted with gaskets is to position them properly. Right after checking their overall status and condition, the gaskets must subsequently be inserted and cantered between the flanges very carefully. The alignment or positioning of the gaskets is known to be crucial since they are initially intended to seal the areas of specific parts and prevent them from being exposed to elements. Workers must make sure that the gaskets can seat properly in their intended locations.

Added Lubrication

The addition of proper lubrication is essential so that the friction between the gasket and a specific surface is minimised. Additionally, lubrication allows a specific application to have adequate torque transmission and obtain the needed aid in joint disassembly. A suitable lubricant must be applied evenly to all threads, nut, and washer load-bearing surfaces. It must, however, not contaminate the faces of the flange and gasket to avoid any problems in the long run.

To know more about these gasket installation procedures, just contact us at Gasketech. We are a manufacturer and supplier of gaskets and sealing washers, extrusions, and mouldings for all industries.