Do you know which specialised treatments apply to O-Rings? - JIOrings

Treatments that improve the performance of O-Rings

Sometimes standard elastomer O-Rings need to be treated with specialised surface treatments. By doing this, the equipment’s performance, assembly and installation is improved.

At JIOrings we can treat the O-Rings surface with specialised processes such as cleaning, chemical immersion or coating, with the aim of reducing friction and adhesion, to achieve a permanent lubricating effect or to facilitate the installation of the gaskets.

These treatments are usually done for large quantities or batches anyway, in case you need this type of treatment, we recommend that you contact us so we can analyse your needs and offer you the appropriate solution. These are the different treatments or surface coatings that we offer:

• PTFE
• Coloured PTFE
• Siliconized
• Talc
• Micro Talc
• Molykote
• Graffiti
• Chloride
• Rough

*Download of the technical specifications for each treatment, is subject to the purchase of gaskets treated to any of the aforementioned coatings.

PTFE

PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene coating), also known as TEFLON® (trademark of Chemours), is a coating based on fluoropolymers that provides high anti-adhesion to gaskets.

PTFE is a material suitable for contact with food (FDA), so it has many industrial applications such as the food, beverage, chemical and textile sectors etc… The process for coating gaskets with Teflon® PTFE consists of four different parts:

• Degreasing – Consists of eliminating any organic or inorganic residue that the pieces may have. For this, degreaser is applied to the gaskets.
• Sandblasting – Or preparing the surface to be coated to guarantee maximum adhesion of the Teflon® by blasting with aluminium oxide.
• Application – This is done with liquid spray guns, electrostatically, HVLP or with powder guns. This process may consist of several layers of product, depending on the purpose of the coating.
• Curing – For Teflon® to maintain its properties, the coating must be polymerised. Which means heating the gaskets to 360°C and maintaining this for 10 minutes.

Siliconised

The silicone or siliconised coating provides the gaskets with greater anti-adhesion, waterproofing and mechanical resistance. In addition, silicone gaskets also have better sealing and thermal insulation. A silicone gasket has the following advantages:

• Better thermal resistance.
• Good inflammability properties.
• Excellent impermeability (even in hostile conditions: outdoors, water, steam, smoke and combustible gases).
• Good flexibility.
• Can be cleaned easily.
• Increased durability.

MOLYKOTE

Molykote is Dow Corning’s commercial name for their specialised lubricants. This lubricant was developed to solve industrial lubrication problems, and in turn to reduce friction and wear.

By treating the O-Rings with Molykote, which incorporates molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) into the lubricant, it is possible to create a final product capable of withstanding high loads, high and low working temperatures, dirt and dust, aggressive chemical environments and extreme speeds.

The MoS2 is incorporated into the elastomer in the form of a dry lubricating film dispersed over the sealing surface. This produces a mechanical interlacing, which in the long term, reduces the friction and wear caused by dynamic stresses. The main advantages of this type of treatment are:

• Improved separation in automatic assembly.
• Reduced friction and dynamic tension.
• Pollution containment.
• Protection against corrosion.
• Dispelled heat.
• Power transmission.
• This process is suitable for all types of elastomers.

When this static lubricant is applied to O-Rings, it allows for their use in advanced applications that require high electrical conduction, heat transfer, vacuum sealing and/or stability of a join.

TALC

It is often necessary to improve the coefficient of the O-Rings friction, since they have rough and adherent surfaces. In these cases, surface treatments such as talc can be applied. Thanks to this method, a reduction in friction can be achieved, both to facilitate assembly and to prolong service life.

Talc treatment, consists of applying it to the gaskets in a drum as a coating of disseminated dust. In this case, no interlacing occurs with the surface of the elastomer.

The talcum powder particles create an impermeable barrier that reduces the penetration of air and liquids into the gaskets. The more laminar the talc, the greater the barrier effect it will have. These are the main advantages of a talc-based treatment:

• Disseminated powder coating.
• It prevents the components from sticking once packaged.
• It is not suitable for dynamic applications.
• This process is suitable for all types of elastomers.