Tips for Designing the Right Gasket

When it comes to gaskets, there are so many different materials and designs out there, choosing the best one for your application isn’t always plain and simple. Since gaskets are mechanical seals that are designed to be airtight and prevent contaminants from entering your important equipment, you need to be precise when designing them.

As one of the leading manufacturers of custom rubber gaskets in Ohio, the team from Expert Gasket & Seal wants to make things a bit easier on you. So, here you’ll find some of the most important things to consider when designing your gaskets.

Key Considerations for Custom Gasket Design

Materials

Before beginning any of the real design work, you’ll first need to decide upon what type of material you want your custom gaskets fashioned from. When looking over the different options at your disposal, pay close attention to characteristics such as hardness, density, and elasticity. These properties will play a large role in the performance of your gasket and should never be overlooked.

Some of the most common gasket manufacturing materials include:

  • Neoprene / Chloroprene rubber: This is a synthetic rubber compound that’s both durable and resists damage from exposure to UV radiation, ozone,  and refrigerants.  . Another benefit of neoprene is that it remains flexible in a temperature range of -40° C-120° C.
  • Nitrile: Nitrile is a synthetic rubber used in a wide range of applications, but most commonly where the gaskets are exposed to petroleum based fluids.
  • Silicone: One of the most versatile gasket materials, silicone is available in everything from solid to sponge form and is excellent in temperatures to +232° C.  Silicone is typically FDA compliant and is used in food service and pharmaceutical applications.

Gasket Design

After deciding on the right material for your gasket, you’ll then need to consider what type of design you’d like it to have. Of course, the end design will depend upon what application you’llbe using it for, but you’ll need to design its shape, as well as consider its cross-section and thickness.

Application Environment

Lastly, consider what type of environment your gaskets will be installed in. What type of wear and tear and operating temperatures do you expect? Will there be any chemicals present? Answering these questions will help you make certain your finished gasket is both well-designed, as well as durable.

Contact us for custom rubber gaskets in Ohio

For more about our custom rubber gaskets, seals, and other products, contact us online today or call (330) 468-0066 or 1 (800) 956-8766.