Performance Coatings for Seals
When it comes to developing a superior seal, a strategically selected advanced coating can be the “secret sauce” that leads to a game-changing level of performance, delivering superior abrasion resistance, faster installation, better UV resistance and lasting aesthetics. These benefits can translate into fewer warranty claims and extended service life for your products, as well as greater customer satisfaction and an overall competitive advantage.
For example, one of the most vexing challenges of seal installation relates to manually inserting or feeding a seal into a channel of the sub-assembly at the customer facility. Without intervention, there can be a relatively high coefficient of friction, and that is a problem for a number of reasons. It slows assembly speed significantly, it makes it more likely that a seal may bunch up in the groove and not provide proper sealing which could lead to avoidable leaks and other problems down the road, and it can be an ergonomic nightmare, causing fatigue or even injury to operators, further compounding these challenges.
So how do you stop this vicious circle? Historically, some operations have tried applying talc, a soft mineral which can be effective at lowering the coefficient of friction and allowing a rubber seal to slide into the substrate more easily. The problem is that talc is respirable so workers may need to wear PPE, it is an added item to purchase and carry in inventory, and, frankly, it can make a gritty mess in the surrounding area, and in the product as well.
A better solution would be the application of a very thin layer of an advanced coating to the appropriate surface, one that reduces the coefficient of friction long enough for the operator to do the work, and do it faster, easier and more effectively. With the proper coating, the seal flows nearly effortlessly into the groove or through the hole, greatly increasing productivity, and there is no residue or concern about personnel safety.
Building in long term performance
The right coating can make assembly challenges disappear, but that is far from its only value. Another benefit we can often achieve for our customers is delivering even better abrasion resistance in a dynamic application where a seal may be subjected to continuous friction for years or decades, like on a door threshold. While material selection and proper profile development are vital factors, a coating can take abrasion performance to the next level, especially when dealing with soft materials, or gray or other non-black seals.
With a coating, manufacturers can achieve the highest levels of compression with a sponge material and protect that soft sponge with a coating to achieve long term durability as well. And if color aesthetics are important, manufacturers can get seals without carbon black, a common pigment that also provides a lot of reinforcement and strength, color the seal as required, and then add a clear reinforcing coating to achieve a similar level of long-term resiliency.
Talk to us, the coatings experts
Cooper Standard ISG delivers a wide range of expertise that has made us the leader in developing and deploying advanced coatings for enhanced performance in industrial applications of all kinds. We have in-house chemical engineers who understand how to compound the right coating to optimally achieve the needed qualities, as well as how to apply them and cure them permanently on a particular substrate for long-term success.
We are experts at engineering the optimum profile geometry for the application, and, with our advanced computerized finite element analysis capabilities, we can model the coated seal, and ensure that all properties are optimized, without creating costly physical prototypes.
This coating expertise is available to our partners at any level they desire. For example, if you are purchasing one of our standard engineered sealing solutions, we can often attain new levels of abrasion resistance or other boosted, customized properties through the application of a particular coating. Or, better yet, we can work with you to develop the optimum seal from scratch, analyzing your product design and identifying the perfect material, profile, coating or finishing capabilities. Contact us anytime—we look forward to discussing the possibilities with you.