Different industries use a wide range of mechanical components to ensure that their tools and devices work perfectly. One of the components they use is a gasket.

Gaskets are mechanical components that can fill the space between two or more surfaces of a part or product. The primary purpose of these mechanical sealing products is to prevent leakage from or into the unified surfaces. Additionally, gaskets can stop intense vibration from affecting the functions of the involved part or product.

The Average Life of Gaskets

The average life of gaskets depends on various factors. These factors include their storage temperature, material, and surrounding conditions. 

Gaskets can only last for a long time if they are stored in a location that has around 4 to 27 degrees Celsius. Moreover, their storage area must not be exposed to direct sunlight, chemical vapour, and excessive humidity. These elements, after all, can deteriorate the materials used for creating the gaskets.

And speaking of the materials, gaskets’ average life can likewise depend on their overall materials. Gaskets out of silicone and Viton have a proposed shelf life of 20 years, while those made from non-asbestos fibre, neoprene, EPDM, butyl, and nitrile can last between 5 and 10 years. Natural rubber and natural fibre gaskets, ultimately, have a recommended shelf life of up to 5 years.

As for their operations, gaskets’ service life can be negatively affected if they are exposed to ozone, light, heat, oxygen, humidity, oils, water, solvents, acids, and vapours.

Using Gaskets Repeatedly

The service life of gaskets that have already been used for specific applications is expected to decrease over time. Hence, reputable gasket suppliers would normally suggest that the gaskets not be utilised again once they have been used, even just for a short time.

Gasket suppliers, however, can permit the reuse of gaskets if they have not been exposed to heat. Gaskets that have not been exposed to any fluid can likewise be used again for other applications. Ultimately, industries can reuse their gaskets if their overall thickness and compressibility are still intact.

Gaskets that do not meet the mentioned qualities above cannot be reused since they will not be able to fill the space of the surfaces and save them from leakage issues. Gaskets that have been exposed to elevated temperatures, after all, can already deteriorate their material composition. And when heated, the gaskets may already stiffen up and get brittle. Gaskets that have been saturated with fluid, on the other hand, will only get swollen once they will be reused.

Purchase Quality Gaskets

Even though some gaskets can still be reused, the consensus among gasket suppliers is to never reuse a gasket. After all, the quality of used gaskets has already been affected by many factors. Using a new set of gaskets is much more recommended since they guarantee better sealing and minimal downtimes.

To purchase quality gaskets for your application, you can contact us at Gasketech.

Businesses that conduct food grade applications should only use tools and conduct processes that do not impede the quality of their products. Once they have failed in doing these parts, their businesses may end up losing consumers and revenues. Their reputation may likewise be compromised.

The intricate nature of food products makes food-related industries wary about processing them. Fortunately, numerous guidelines have been established and set so that any food-related businesses can conduct their operations accordingly. One element of these guidelines that they should strictly follow is the utilisation of the right sealing products.

Sealing products for food grade applications must possess numerous qualities so they can be useful and last for a long time. They must also possess the right material for them to be effective.

Recommended Qualities of Sealing Products

When choosing the sealing products for your food grade applications, you must ensure that they boast certain qualities for them to be useful and cost-effective.

Two qualities that your sealing products should possess include tasteless and odourless. Food products already have unique tastes and odours. If your sealing products have strong chemicals, they might end up altering the qualities of the foods. Worse, the food items may become spoiled very quickly.

Other qualities that your sealing products must have include resistance to bacteria, compatibility with specific chemicals, and impervious to extreme temperatures. Food products, as already mentioned, are delicate and sensitive. Once they are exposed to bacteria and extreme temperatures, their quality may be affected. Opting for sealing products that can resist these elements can preserve the quality of the items.

Select the Right Material for Sealing Products

Sealing products for food grade applications can be made out of various materials. While most of them can be effective in your application, they possess qualities that make them different from one another. Here are some of the most popular materials for sealing products.

When selecting the sealing products for your application, you should ensure that they can meet strict health and safety standards. They must also be stable, neutral, and cleanable. To obtain your sealing products, you can contact us at Gasketch.

Components of engines, assemblies, and other products must be installed properly and tightly so they remain functional for the rest of their service life. One way to ensure the proper assembly of the components is through maximising mechanical seals.

Mechanical seals like gaskets can fill the space between two or more surfaces, preventing any leak from developing. Most of the time, sealing with gaskets are preferred by many industries since permanent sealing processes like gluing and welding may fail to provide a leak-tight sealing. Mechanical sealing is also maximised in most industrial applications since it can meet most of their assembly requirements.

To date, mechanical seals can be made from a wide variety of materials. But one material that is often used for mechanical seals is Viton.

Primary Composition of Viton

Viton is a mixture of synthetic rubber and fluoropolymer elastomers that comes from DuPont, a reputable producer of chemicals and science-based products. This material has been used in creating rubber seals, gaskets, and O-rings. To date, Viton has four families of polymers.

  1. A (Dipolymers of VF2/HFP) – This type of Viton polymer is comprised of 66% fluorine, making it effective for general-purpose sealing of automotive and aerospace products.
  2. B (Terpolymers of VF2/HFP/TFE) – Maximises 66% fluorine content, this type of Viton polymer is significantly useful for chemical process plants, power utility seals, and gaskets.
  3. F (Terpolymers of VF2/HFP/TFE) – F family of Viton is comprised of 70% fluorine. It can be effective in oxygenated automotive fuels and concentrated aqueous inorganic acids.
  4. Specialty Types – Specialty types such as GLT, GBLT, GFLT, and Viton Extreme can all be useful for the automotive and oil exploration industries.

Viton’s Remarkable Benefits

Since Viton comes from a reputable producer, it can easily provide benefits to industries that use sealing products out of this material.

One of the benefits of Viton sealing products is they can withstand extreme temperatures. From significantly hot temperatures down to extremely low temperatures, Viton sealing products can effectively resist these conditions and continue to seal various assemblies. Another benefit of Viton sealing products is they can resist oil and chemicals. Despite being exposed to these elements, Viton seals, gaskets, and O-rings can operate continuously and avoid unnecessary leaks.

Other elements that Viton sealing products can withstand include atmospheric oxidation, ultraviolet rays, climatic conditions, mould, and fungus.

Some more benefits of Viton are low burning characteristics and reputable electrical properties.

Maximising Viton Products

Viton’s remarkable benefits have paved the way for its usage across industries. Some industries that use Viton are aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, and transportation industries. As for their exact applications, Viton mechanical seals such as gaskets and O-rings have been very useful for retaining the service life and functions of pumps, valves, and engine components.

To know more about Viton, you can contact us at Gasketech.

Tons of sealing products are now available in the market, ensuring that every application can be conducted successfully. One of the sealing products that industries use today is the gasket.

A gasket is a sealing product that can fill the space between two or more surfaces, ensuring that any leaks will be prevented on their connection points even when under compression. Without the installation of a gasket, the mating surfaces will easily allow external materials to enter and infiltrate them, which can damage them along the way. The lack of this sealing product can likewise lead to energy wastes, high expenses, and failure of the tools or components.

Many industries use gaskets due to their effective sealing capabilities. However, their applications differ from each other, which is why manufacturers have come up with various types of gaskets. Here are some of the industries that use gaskets and the best gasket types for their applications.

Food Processing

Temperature is a key factor when it comes to processing food products. And since a lot of food products are processed in various temperatures, the gaskets used for the tools and other equipment pieces should be able to sustain their qualities. One gasket type that can be effective in the food processing industry is silicone since it can remain stable despite being exposed to high temperatures. Gaskets out of graphite and non-asbestos can also be used in high-pressure environments. 

Automotive

The number of cars that are being manufactured nowadays has been increasing exponentially thanks to the automation of manufacturing processes. However, to ensure that these vehicles can be effective and safe, they must maximise gaskets that can resist high temperatures, fuel, and oil. Gaskets with these qualities are often made from silicone, nitrile, and Viton. EPDM gaskets, on the other hand, are used in creating door seals and plastic foams for car seats. Graphite and non-asbestos gaskets, ultimately, are installed within the combustion areas of the engines as they can withstand high temperatures.

Oil and Gas

The oil and gas industry is another industry that maximises high temperatures in its applications. With the right gasket materials, the industry can easily process oil, gas, and other elements necessary to provide power. Gaskets made from graphite, for instance, can be effective in the oil and gas industry as they can work effectively in high temperature, high-pressure environments. The industry can likewise utilise gaskets made from non-asbestos materials.

Pharmaceutical

The processes involved in the pharmaceutical industry can be delicate at times. And to prevent any accidents from happening, the industry should opt for materials that can handle chemicals and their respective reactions. They must also go for materials that do not allow bacteria to grow significantly. Fortunately, PTFE gaskets are effective in handling chemicals and preventing bacteria from growing. Silicone gaskets can also be maximised in this industry thanks to their durable composition.

Some more industries that use gaskets are aerospace, electrical, petrochemical, and transportation industries. To obtain quality gaskets for your applications, you can call us at Gasketech.

Different industries utilise engines, pumps, and shafts in conducting long-term operations. To ensure that these things can effectively work for a long time, they must be equipped with long-lasting components. One of these components is the gasket.

Gaskets are components that can seal two or more surfaces of engines, pumps, and shafts. Once installed, they can easily prevent leaks and other similar effects. They can likewise prevent unwanted liquids or gases from infiltrating various parts of these things. Without gaskets, the engines, pumps, and shafts will surely have difficulties in operating optimally.

Many materials can be used in generating gaskets. One material, however, that is seen to be effective in creating quality gaskets is graphite.

Key Features of Graphite Gaskets

Pure graphite is identified to be the mineral form of carbon, which can be normally found in metamorphic and igneous rock. Despite being extremely soft, pure graphite can easily resist heat. It is even nearly inert in contact with almost all materials. These properties alone make graphite suitable for gasket production.

Once processed, graphite can easily be utilised in manufacturing gaskets and other sealing materials, providing features and benefits that can be extremely useful for many applications.

One feature of graphite gaskets is they can resist high temperatures. Graphite gaskets can likewise resist high-pressure sealing. These features alone already make them suitable for a wide array of industrial applications. Their features, however, do not stop from there. Graphite gaskets are also notable for their low friction surface, resistance to warpage and deterioration, endurance to liquids and gases, impeccable radiation resistance, and high level of recovery.

The strength and durability of graphite gaskets can then be enhanced through the integration of metal cores, which is a service that can be made by a reputable gasket manufacturer.

Applications of Graphite Gaskets

Given the outstanding features of graphite gaskets, they can surely benefit a lot of industries, especially their high-level applications and operations.

Some of the industries that can benefit from graphite gaskets are chemical and petrochemical, paper, cryogenic, and electrochemical industries. Graphite gaskets can also be maximised in vibration dampening, steam services, and thermal applications.

What is common about these applications is that they tend to maximise high temperature and high pressure. And so, if you need gaskets for high temperature and high-pressure applications, then you should opt for those that are made from gaskets.

Fortunately, we at Gasketech can offer quality graphite gaskets. We maximise economical yet technically advanced sealing materials so they can fit most applications. Aside from graphite, we can also offer sealing materials out of Viton, PTFE, and other quality materials. And to make sure that you meet your needs, we grant you the ability to set the standards and specifications for the gaskets.