Self-adapting gasket
Replacing the seals in the rotary unions of the rotary fillers used in the food industry is a challenging task involving significant downtime costs.
Challenge
One of our main customers, a multinational leader in the production of soft drinks required us to lengthen the interval of maintenance of its seals by working on product reliability in order to better plan the preventive maintenance.
Solution
First, ATP analysed the plant and the sealing requirements, both detailed below.
OPERATING DATA Liquids in contact: alimentary liquids e.g. water, soft drinks, dry air, CO2 and CIP sanitary solutions Speed: 5-20 RPM Pressure: 0-6 bar. Empty -0.8 bar Temperature: from 4°C during filling to a maximum of 95°C during sanitising Shaft material: AISI 316 with superficial hardening treatment.
SEAL REQUIREMENTS – FDA certification – 3A, EU 1935/2004 and China GB – Options for open- or closed-groove assembly
Following this, ATP worked closely with the client to create cohesive
– tribological testing on a range of materials – finite element analysis on a range of shapes – samples for the client to test within their own test benches.
The challenge was met with a patented auto-adaptive profile in Sintek H-TPU polyurethane.
Advantages
The auto-adaptive profile, which can be developed for rods and cylinders, offers a solution for linear sealing systems up to 20 bar and is set apart by its automatic eccentricity compensation and increased efficiency. The auto-adaptive seals make it possible to reduce wear, as the contact pressure is significantly reduced in comparison to traditional seals, and the auto-adaptive profile can double the service life.