In the fast-paced world of industrial and chemical manufacturing, time is money, and even short disruptions or inefficiencies in a facility can quickly escalate into expensive consequences. While it can be tempting to reach for standard gaskets, “the grab and go” option, in the long run they may not be ideal depending on the specific requirements of your applications.

In this blog, discover when it’s time to move beyond standard gaskets and connect with Expert Gasket & Seal for a custom gasket solution designed to reduce downtime and help your facility save thousands.

When a Custom Gasket Is the Right Choice:

1) Unique Sizing or Dimensions

Custom seals are manufactured to precise specifications, ensuring a tight, accurate fit between two surfaces. This exact fit reduces the risk of leaks, pressure loss and equipment failure, therefore improving overall system performance and reliability.

2) Extreme Operating Environment

Some industries, such as industrial manufacturing, automotive and chemical manufacturing, operate under highly demanding application requirements and difficult conditions that include high temperatures, high pressures or caustic substances that can break down gasket materials. Custom gaskets are ideal for extreme operating conditions because they are engineered with precise materials to withstand heat, pressure and chemicals, ensuring a reliable seal where standard options would deteriorate or fail. As an authorized Durlon ®  distributor and fabricator, we’ve seen strong performance from the Durlon ®  Durtec ®  ETG in these types of applications.

3) Reduction in Downtime and Maintenance

Custom gaskets and molded rubber parts used in manufacturing and industrial machinery can help minimize downtime and ongoing maintenance. When designed specifically for a system’s requirements, they deliver better efficiency and reliability than standard components that may not be a precise fit.

4) Specific and Unique Performance Requirements

Certain applications have precise gasket characteristics, such as minimal leakage, enhanced flexibility or high resistance to compression. Custom seals can be tailored to these requirements, delivering consistent performance even in challenging environments.

If the installation did not begin by checking for damaged or warped parts, then be warned, big problems may lie ahead! Take the time to thoroughly inspect all components of the equipment required for installation. For example, large nicks, deformations and other major surface imperfections in the flange will wear out even the best gasket, so that would need to be resurfaced or replaced before installation.

5) Regulatory Compliance

Certain industries, such as those subject to FDA regulations, require custom gaskets and molded rubber components made from approved materials that aren’t always available in standard offerings. Custom solutions help ensure compliance with material standards while maintaining smooth and reliable system operation.

Is a Custom Gasket the Best Solution for Your Facility?

Then it’s time to contact the experienced team at Expert Gasket & Seal! We’ll work with you to identify the most effective custom gasket solution for your applications.

FDA-approved gaskets are important in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Why? Because any product or material that may come into direct or indirect contact with consumable products has strict rules and regulations.

Common Materials Used in FDA-Approved Gaskets

We provide a variety of FDA-compliant materials for our gaskets, including:

• PTFE Sheet and Gaskets
• Durlon 9000/9600 FDA Sheet and Gaskets
• FDA Rubber Sheet Including Nitrile, EPDM, Neoprene, Viton^® and Silicone
• Standard in Line, MPU, I-Line, Q-Line Pipe and Sanitary Gaskets
• Siftex FDA Flexible Connectors
• FDA Vulcanized & Molded O-Rings

Why Are FDA-Approved Materials Necessary?

• Safety and Hygiene: It’s important to find gasket materials that prevent chemical leaching, contamination or bacterial growth.
• Compliance: Using materials that are not FDA-compliant in applications could lead to contamination, posing health risks and potentially violating regulations.

Have questions? Contact the experts! The highly qualified team at Expert Gasket & Seal would love to help you find the best solution for your FDA- approved gasket or seal application.

As a leading distributor of custom and standard gaskets, we know that gaskets play a crucial role in sealing joints and preventing leaks for a wide variety of applications. Improper installation, however, can lead to gasket failure, leaks and costly repairs. To avoid this happening at your facility, check out our top tips to ensure proper gasket installation and long-lasting performance.

 

Choose the Right Gasket

When installing a new gasket, it’s important to first make sure the gasket material is suitable for the fluid or gas being sealed, and can withstand extreme temperatures, pressure and chemical exposure if necessary. We offer a wide variety of gasket materials, including metal, soft plastics such as PTFE and rubber such as Neoprene, Silicone and Viton FKM. Gasket size and thickness are also crucial to proper function, so before installation it’s important to ensure that the gasket matches the dimensions of the joint, including inner and outer diameters and thickness.

 

Clean Sealing Surfaces

To get the best seal from your gasket, it should be applied to surfaces that are as clean as reasonably possible. Remove any old gasket material, dirt, oil or debris from the sealing surfaces using a scraper or solvent, and also repair or replace corroded or damaged flanges before proceeding.

 

Ensure Proper Bolting

Bolting and the selection of appropriate fasteners for gaskets play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity, performance and safety of bolted flange connections. Proper bolting provides the necessary clamping force to compress the gasket and form a tight seal, preventing leaks of gases or liquids in piping systems, equipment and other applications. Without proper bolting, the gasket could lose compression, leading to system failure, so it’s important to make sure that bolts and fasteners can withstand the internal pressure of the system.

 

Inspect Flange Condition

Uneven surfaces can compromise the seal, so it’s important to check your flange for warping, dents or irregularities on the flange surfaces. Also, repair or replace corroded or damaged flanges before proceeding with a new installation.

 

Flange Load Requirements

Gasket materials must receive adequate flange pressure to compress sufficiently and create a tight, continuous seal. This required flange pressure, also known as the “y” factor or minimum seating stress, must be evenly applied across the entire seating area to ensure an effective seal. However, in real-world applications, the pressure distribution is rarely uniform. The highest force is concentrated near the areas around the bolts, while the lowest force typically occurs midway between two bolts. Flange designers must account for this uneven distribution to ensure reliable sealing performance.

 

Apply Gasket Properly

Before tightening your gasket, first do a dry fit to ensure proper alignment. For best fit, the bolts holding the gasket shouldn’t merely be each tightened in turn, but in a pattern of opposite pairs – for example, top/bottom then left/right. We recommend doing at least three passes and tightening each bolt a bit more with each pass to create the best seal.

 

Perform a Final Inspection

Perform a final inspection that includes checking alignment and conducting a pressure or leak test to confirm the integrity of the seal before full operation.

Is it time to install new gaskets at your facility? Then contact us to speak with our experts about your specific project needs and we’ll help you find the perfect gasket solution!

Gaskets and rubber seals are critical components of industrial manufacturing, as they are necessary for operating the machinery and production processes that maintain high throughput and minimize production downtime. Even the slightest deviation can lead to significant issues in performance and safety, which ultimately leads to higher costs at your facility. At Expert Gasket & Seal, our decades of experience combined with the quality materials we use and state-of-the-art technology, ensures that our prototyping has the highest level of precision. Learn more about why precision matters in prototyping and how we make it possible.

Proper Fit Means Proper Function

The primary role of gaskets is to form a seal that prevents leaks and maintains pressure between surfaces. Rubber seals are applied in pumps, valves and other components, and ensure stability under intense pressure by acting as vibration dampeners, insulators or protective coverings. Precision ensures that a prototype aligns perfectly with the intended application, reducing the need for costly reworks.

Improved Performance, Lower Costs

When gaskets and rubber seals are precisely designed to meet the needs of a particular system, they run more efficiently and require less maintenance. Additionally, when high-quality materials are used for prototyped parts, it allows them to more effectively withstand high temperatures, corrosive substances or the intense pressure that comes with specific environments.

The Expert Gasket & Seal Difference

Materials Used:

At Expert Gasket & Seal, we provide quality molded rubber parts from multiple compounds, including:

• Silicone,
• Viton^®
• EPDM
• Nitrile
• Neoprene

We also have FDA-compliant compounds available for food contact applications.

Advanced Technology:

We are proud to utilize optical scanning technology for our prototyped gaskets, seals and rubber parts. This technology is able to create highly accurate 3D representations of physical objects, then utilize lasers to create a detailed digital model of the object being scanned. Check out these great benefits:

• Precision: Optical scanning technology offers unparalleled precision, capturing even the smallest details of gaskets and rubber parts.
• Time Efficiency: Optical scanning eliminates manual measurements and tedious trial-and-error processes, reducing the time required to create an accurate replica.
• Replicate Parts That Have No Tooling, Drawings, or Files: Optical scanning measures the size without needing CAD or other design files.
• Cost Savings: Optical scanning saves money by minimizing errors and reducing the need for multiple iterations.

We are confident that our expertise, quality materials, technology and focus on precision can provide your company with gaskets and rubbers seals that will improve operations at your facility. Contact us today to learn more about our prototyping process!