For food manufacturers, FDA-compliant sealing plays a vital role in protecting product integrity, ensuring food safety and complying with industry regulations. When an ice cream manufacturer needed a gasket material to seal its mixing trays, the solution had to be FDA compliant for food contact and have the ability to withstand the harsh caustic wash cycle after every batch. Upon hearing this, Expert Gasket & Seal knew exactly which material was up to the challenge.

Solution

Whether you need custom-fabricated gaskets or PTFE sheet material for in-house production, Expert Gasket & Seal offers a full range of high-performance Durlon® PTFE materials to fit your application. For this ice cream manufacturer, using Durlon 9000 gasket material proved to be the ideal sealing solution because it complies with the FDA requirements of 21 CFR 177.1550 for food contact. Additionally, the PTFE properties allow it to deliver the durability needed to withstand temperatures up to 500°F, as well as the harsh caustic wash cycles common in clean-in-place (CIP) food processing.

Results

The customer is pleased that they can now use one material for all of their sealing applications. By eliminating the need for multiple materials, this solution saves time, streamlines processes, reduces the risk of misapplied gaskets and provides one reliable material for a wide range of applications. FDA compliance starts with the right sealing solution.

Contact Expert Gasket & Seal to keep your operations running smoothly and your standards on track.

Understanding the proper gasket materials that should be used in coordination with specific chemicals is crucial for manufacturers. The presence of hazardous substances in
the surrounding atmosphere not only leads to production downtime but also poses a safety risk to plant personnel and the environment.

When a manufacturer was experiencing chlorine gas leaks, they reached out to the team at Expert Gasket & Seal for insight and solutions. Upon conducting some research, it was
discovered that the customer had been using virgin PTFE to seal chlorine gas at temperatures exceeding 400°F. Virgin PTFE is prone to creep and cold flow, which led to the client’s premature gasket failure. While large spiral-wound gaskets were an option, the costs for crating and shipping these oversized gaskets could be prohibitive.

Solution

Durlon 9000 is available in a 60” x 60” sheet, which can be cut to specific gasket sizes without the need for crating or the worry of a Spiral wound gasket “un-winding”. Expert Gasket & Seal chose this option for the client.

Results

By switching to an approved gasket material suitable for direct chlorine contact, the customer was able to operate more safely while protecting the environment and reducing
downtime. This change ensured safer operations for plant personnel, minimized the risk of environmental releases and improved overall operational efficiency.

Let’s keep your facility safe. Contact Expert Gasket & Seal and stress less while saving more!

Overview

For chemical manufacturers, pump failure leads to costly production downtime, as pumps are critical for moving chemicals through the manufacturing process. If a pump fails, entire production lines may come to a halt. Pump failure can also pave the way for future issues, such as damage to seals, valves and tanks — resulting in more extensive and costly repairs.

When a major chemical manufacturer experienced repeat shutdowns at their facility due to railcar unloading pump seals that frequently failed as a result of crystallization that formed when the product hit atmosphere, they reached out to Expert Gasket & Seal for solutions that would prevent hazardous spillage and monthly pump failure.

Solution

After carefully assessing the issue, Expert Gasket & Seal contacted longtime seal supplier, Advanced Sealing International for their insight. They suggested using a single cartridge seal with a quench gland. Grease was then added to the quench gland and sealed on both ends to prevent product from reaching the atmosphere. The grease continued to be changed on a regular basis to eject the spent material and add fresh material to stop crystallization.

Results

This solution has allowed the chemical manufacturer’s railcar unloading pump, once failing monthly because of the seal issue, to run consistently with no issues for over a year. With the problem identified and the new seal solution in place, the manufacturer has eliminated pump downtime and potential spillage, enhancing both productivity and safety.

Ensure that pump failure is a thing of the past by contacting Expert Gasket & Seal for superior pump solutions!

When leaks occur in a chemical plant, it presents a very serious safety hazard for plant personnel, and also nearby residents if not taken care of thoroughly. If the hazardous substance drains or gets into the plant waste collection, it must be collected and treated, as no manufacturer wants to release any of the toxic chemicals into nearby streams or rivers. When a chemical manufacturer was having trouble with a leaking man-way gasket, they knew they needed to find a solution fast, so they reached out to the team at Expert Gasket & Seal.

After some initial research on the materials used for the man-way gasket, it was determined to be a bolting issue and not a material compatibility issue. The customer was using a grade 5 bolt on a flange where more bolt torque was needed, as well as a higher-grade bolt material.

Solution

Expert Gasket & Seal switched to a grade 8 bolt, which combined with washers and a thread lubricant, were successfully able to get the proper bolt yield needed to achieve a strong seal. Expert Gasket & Seal leveraged its long relationship with Durlon, its gasket sheet material supplier which has a special bolting program to get the needed bolt torque. From there, the leaking issue was resolved very quickly.

Results

The upgraded bolt and increased bolt torque have prevented further leaks from the man-way gasket. The customer feels peace of mind knowing they found a solution that protects their employees, residents of the city and the environment.

Don’t let hazardous chemical leaks threaten safety at your facility — contact Expert Gasket & Seal and start protecting your plant today!

Downtime and production delays are not only stressful, but can cost manufacturing facilities thousands of dollars if not handled properly. When a chemical additives producer was experiencing constant production delays due to pump and seal failure, they reached out to Expert Gasket & Seal for solutions.

Upon investigating the issue, it became clear that many of the issues the customer was facing at their facility were compounded by the fact that they had multiple pumps and mixers hooked up to a single recirculating gear pump for their barrier fluid protection. One specific pump was a constant source of failure. Additionally, the “press” pump was seeing higher pressure than the balance of the group, due to back pressure buildup from a filter press getting clogged and overcoming the seal/stuffing box pressure.

Solution

After Expert Gasket & Seal consulted with an engineering partner, it was determined that the facility needed a double seal with its own ASME stamped seal pot/barrier tank. The pressure on this seal pot would need to be set higher for this single barrier system than what the filter press would create with its back pressure. The tank pressure was set at roughly 65 PSI, which the 595 double pumper cartridge seal can handle easily. The 595 double pumper cartridge seal with the barrier tank is independent of the pump and the pressure associated with the process.

Results

Isolating the 595 double pumper cartridge seal from the others on a “community loop” setup will greatly extend the life of this pump and seal process. By setting this one pump and seal up to its own pressured barrier tank, it can run longer and for extended periods without downtime. This solution should double or even triple the life of the seal and eliminate downtime on a very valuable piece of production equipment for this facility.

Struggling with production delays and downtime at your facility, but can’t seem to get to the root of the problem? Then contact Expert Gasket & Seal for solutions that save time, money and reduce stress!

Handling raw materials is an integral part of the manufacturing industry, and poor handling can lead to safety and productivity concerns. So, when a welding rod manufacturer was experiencing toxic raw material spills throughout its warehouse, they turned to Expert Gasket & Seal.

While transporting totes of the material by forklift to vessels for production, powder-based raw material was leaking out. Due to its fine particle form, dusty, gritty, pumice-like material was being carried by foot and by equipment contaminating other parts of the building including offices and areas of the plant where “cleaner” manufacturing practices are required. This led to safety and housecleaning issues, as well as the loss of valuable product.

Solution

Working with the manufacturer’s maintenance and engineering teams, Expert Gasket & Seal designed a cone-shaped rubber boot out of 30 Durometer Silicone rubber to form a seal between the top of each metal tote and the production equipment, creating a positive seal and eliminating spillage.

Results

The silicone seal not only eliminated spills on the floor that migrated to other parts of the facility, but it also limited the amount of the toxic material in the atmosphere. Because the cone-shaped seals are durable and can be reused many times over, the savings in loss of material and cleaning costs alone easily offset the cost of the seals.

If transporting raw materials is leading to costly spills in your manufacturing process, call Expert Gasket & Seal today for a customized solution to your sealing needs.