Most of us are focusing on our latest project or deadline with a “nose-to-grindstone” mentality. It’s also worth taking a moment to step back and look at the big picture. Seal makers are investigating the production of materials that can handle a range of new fluids and withstand severe conditions in widely distributed markets.
With increasing opportunities for significant construction projects around the world, fluid power customers rely on equipment manufacturers to build machines that operate reliably in any environment without requiring frequent maintenance. Components capable of handling extreme temperatures, wet and dry conditions, and constant massive duty operations, including KASTAS Hydraulic Seals, may challenge these expectations.
Hydraulic seal suppliers must remain ahead of their customers’ requirements to produce and manufacture reliable gaskets that keep hydraulic cylinders, pumps, motors, and valves working smoothly. One way to do this is to examine developments in the industry and their role in creating new fluid-powered materials, designs, and products. Below is the impact of fluid power trends in sealing technology affecting the research and development activities of fluid power suppliers?
Customization Within Standardization
Standardization is a common manufacturing phenomenon that has contributed to the realignment of many sectors. For example, the automotive industry successfully adopted a standard vehicle platform strategy several decades ago. Mirroring similar thought, many of today’s Hydraulic seal suppliers are no longer selling separate cylinders for different applications. Instead, they provide Wiper seal for Hydraulic cylinder with broader performance capabilities. The benefits of this strategy include lower production and SCM costs and faster consumer response.
One solution that can be used by cylinder manufacturers is the use of seal sets that have been produced for specific applications. These sealing platforms fit the standard size of the cylinder gland but are packed with particular rings of wipers, primary seals, secondary seals, rod bearings, and piston bearings. Seals are not the only source of leakage of the container. Matching plates of sealing components work together to minimize friction, remove leakage, and improve the cylinder’s strength for different tasks.
Global Machines
Throughout the past, different regions of the world have depended on fluid-power machines manufactured to tackle regional performance issues such as extreme temperatures, dry or wet weather, and mud-to-ice terrain. Thanks to advances in machine engineering, it is now possible to produce equipment that can endure a wide variety of conditions that the planet has to offer.
Hydraulic seals and supplies will preferably give customers a standardized seal that reduces component complexity, manufacturing costs, streamlined order management, and SKU counts. Such seals must overcome all the challenges faced by fluid-power devices, including extreme climates, high and low temperatures, widely fluctuating pressures and varying requirements for sustainability. One way to do this is through the use of specialized materials.
Environmentally Friendly Fluids
Standards for environmentally friendly industrial operations are increasing worldwide. Customers are calling for fluid-powered equipment that is safer, quieter, and less likely to expose fields and building sites to industrial waste. One way Hydraulic seal suppliers respond to this call is by using more environmentally friendly lubricants and hydraulic fluids. For example, the use of biodegradable oils is a growing response to potential leaks in farm equipment.
Although these new lubricants and fluids are better for the environment, they can also cause damage to traditional seals. Such liquids also contain aggressive compounds that degrade and break down elastomer bonds in natural sealing materials. Technical experience is required to examine sealing materials and fluids properly. The best solution could be a double approach. It combines the production of internationally compatible materials with the performance testing of fluid-producing manufacturers.
Overall, the capabilities of smart seals are still emerging. Still, they fit well in an industrial environment where machines learn and are connected, and where seal condition can be critical for a machine’s performance and profitability.
