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Seals and Gaskets
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Flat gasket - which seal for which application?
The material to be transported in line and pipe connections determines the choice of sealing material: gases often require a different material than a liquid medium and an optimal flat seal for water would not withstand aggressive liquids such as fuels. However, the operating conditions such as pressure and temperature also play an important role in the choice of the optimal sealing material.
Flat gaskets are made of the respective seal material in the form of plates. Depending on the material, various techniques can be used for cutting: for example, waterjet cutting technology, plotter technology and punching.
Flat gaskets and their applications:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Pipeline Construction
- Apparatus Construction
- Chemical Industry
- Food Industry
- Pharmaceutical Industry
Order custom-made flat gaskets - individual solutions
Your custom flat gasket can be uniquely ordered online with us. Kofler - Dichtungen is renowned for its extensive experience and tremendous flexibility in manufacturing both standard and custom-made special seals.
This holds particularly true for flat gaskets. Leveraging cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, we are capable of producing flat gaskets as unique pieces with complex geometries (utilizing waterjet cutting and plotter techniques), ranging to standard flange seals, Dutch seals, and flat gaskets produced in large numbers (as stamped parts).
We offer an extensive selection of materials for creating your flat gaskets and provide support in selecting the ideal sealing material for your specific application.
By choosing the perfect manufacturing process, we are able to offer highly competitive prices for everything from small batches using waterjet technology to mass production of stamped flat gaskets, all in the trusted Kofler quality! At Kofler, you can get your seals custom-made.
Order Standard Flat Gaskets Online
Standard flat gaskets are ubiquitous in numerous industries, but are also widely used in household items (e.g. water pipes). They are used industrially in pipes, pipe connections and high-pressure transport systems between two flanges:
- in Power Plants (GE Power, etc.)
- in (petro)chemical plants
- in refineries
- in boiler and apparatus construction
- Paper and pulp production
- Aerospace (Airbus Defense and Space etc.)
What are the usage characteristics of flat gaskets?
Flat gaskets are used for a wide variety of applications. Therefore, it is important to select your flat gasket for the respective requirements. The chemical engineering and pharmaceutical industries place particularly high demands on the sealing material, since aggressive media are routinely used here, but ingredients for medicines are also processed.
Heat-resistant Flat Gasket
Flat gaskets are utilized across a diverse array of applications. Thus, it's crucial to choose your flat gasket according to specific requirements. The chemical engineering and pharmaceutical sectors demand exceptionally high standards for sealant materials, as they regularly handle aggressive media and process ingredients for medications. You have the convenience of ordering your standard flat gasket from us online.
Which gasket for a flange connection?
A flange joint is a way of connecting two pipes together. At the end of the pipe there is an annular disc, the so-called flange. The pipes to be connected are positioned so that the flanges rest against each other and can be screwed together by means of screws and nuts.
The flange seal (e.g. a rubber seal) is inserted between the flanges and pressed together by the screw connection, so that there is a tight connection between the pipes.
The flange seal is thus a flat seal and a static sealing element, since the contact surfaces do not move relative to one another.
What is a spiral seal?
Spiral seals are specialized seals for flange connections that consist of several components and different materials, which can thus play their respective advantages together.
In the production of spiral seals, a metal strip with a V-profile is wound into a spiral. Fillers such as graphite, mica or PTFE are introduced between the windings to optimize the sealing properties. The V-shaped profile leads to the improvement of the mechanical properties, in particular the restoring properties. Spiral seals may also be provided with inner and/or outer rings to improve spiral winding strength, reduce flow of a PTFE liner, and reduce turbulence at the sealing location.
Spiral seals have been specially developed for demanding applications at high temperatures, high pressures and mechanical loads such as vibrations. Examples include high-pressure pipelines in power plants, chemical plants, refineries, as well as boiler construction and space travel.
Flat gasket materials
Materials for flat gaskets are selected specifically for the respective application and area of application. At present, there is an ideal material for virtually every application in sealing technology. The following materials have established themselves in flat gaskets:
Rubber flat gasket
Flat gaskets made of rubber are often the means of choice for problems that are technically relatively easy to solve and cost-efficiency is paramount. For example, flat seals made of rubber are used in low-pressure water systems in outdoor areas or in siphons.
EPDM flat gasket
EPDM flat gaskets are ideally suited for contact with polar chemicals (water, glycol brake fluid, acids, alkalis). However, EPDM is not compatible with oils, fats, solvents such as toluene and fuels. EPDM is very weather resistant and has a long shelf life. It retains its excellent elastic properties, such as good tear resistance, in both heat and cold.
Read more about EPDM Elastomer!
Silicone flat gasket
Silicone (VMQ) flat gaskets impress with the large temperature range in which they retain their elasticity. Silicone seals are very resistant to weathering and aging and are compatible with water and aliphatic oils. Silicone seals are not compatible with aromatic oils, water vapour above 120°C (248°F) and silicone oils.
A major advantage is the general physiological safety and thus usability in the food and drug industry.
Aluminum Flat Gasket
Metal gaskets are plastically pressed into the correct shape by the contact pressure of the flange connection and must be made of a material that is softer than the flange. The relatively soft metal aluminium is ideally suited for this. During pressing, there is a microscopically accurate connection between the metal seal and the flange, so that an ultra-high vacuum-tight connection is created. The disadvantage is that such seals can only be used once, since the plastic adaptation is not reversible.
PTFE - Teflon Flat Gasket
Teflon flat gaskets can be used almost universally, as the material Teflon (PTFE gaskets) is compatible with virtually all materials. It has an enormous thermal range of use from -200°C to 260°C (-328°F to 500°F). Under pressure and high temperature, Teflon has a tendency to flow, so that the service life of the seal can be reduced.
Read more about Teflon (PTFE) sealing material!
Graphite flat gasket
Graphite gaskets are designed for high-temperature applications: they can be used from -240°C to 550°C (-400°F to 1022°F) and withstand almost all chemicals. Graphite gaskets often come with metal inserts (spike plate, flat sheet, expanded metal).
Read more about graphite flat gaskets!
NBR Flat Gasket
An NBR flat gasket is mainly used when resistance to non-polar chemicals such as fuels, oils, greases is required. Mechanical strength is also a strength of NBR. The minimum operating temperature can be finely adjusted by the amount of acrylonitrile during production.
Read more about NBR Elastomer!
Flat gaskets made of fibre materials (Klinger-Sil or Novapress)
Aramid fiber materials, such as Klinger-Sil or Novapress, are typical in the manufacturing of flat gaskets. Thanks to a variety of material mixes, these substances are highly adaptable and frequently find their application in many flange connections at gas or chemical facilities. Historically, asbestos was used for these purposes, but naturally, all our fiber materials are now asbestos-free.
What are sheated flat gaskets?
Sheathed flat gaskets consist of at least two materials. In most cases, the core of the sheathed flat gasket is made of a fiber-containing material. The outer layer made of a corrosion-resistant material such as Teflon or stainless steel forms a protective shell. In this way, the core can be protected from aggressive media. A typical example is the cylinder head gasket of an internal combustion engine.
Waterjet Cutting Technology for Flat Gaskets
In the waterjet cutting technique, a very fine waterjet is propelled at high speed from a computer-controlled nozzle onto the workpiece. This allows for high precision and reproducibility, even with complex geometries.
For elaborate custom productions, this method is often the preferred technique, as it eliminates the need for individual tools like punches.
Waterjet-cut flat gaskets can be made from PTFE, POM, PEEK, as well as soft and thick materials such as foam or neoprene, since they are not deformed by compression during cutting.
Die-cut flat gaskets
Punched flat gaskets offer the significant advantage of being producible in all sizes and shapes with a short lead time, even in high volumes. This enables us to offer stamped seals at absolutely competitive prices. We provide the production of stamped gaskets using materials such as rubber, aramid fiber boards (like Klingersil, Frenzelit), PTFE sheets, cork, leather, gasket paper, and many others.
Flat gaskets - custom-made special gaskets
Flat gaskets are key components within a wide variety of processes and applications. Depending on the area of application, there are various requirements that a flat gasket must meet. Accordingly, it is made of a material suitable for the application. Just tell us the inner diameter, outer diameter or DIN EN specifications of your required flat gasket and we can produce them for you.
We can produce the flat gaskets from all common materials. These are, for example,
- Flat gaskets made of fibre sealing plates such as Klingersil(c), Frenzelit(c), Unitec300(c) etc.
- Flat gaskets made of rubber and plastic qualities,
- Sealing and insulating materials
- Flat gaskets made of high-performance plastics
- Foam rubber flat gaskets (NBR + EPDM)
- Flat seals made of graphite plates
We see ourselves as experts who are familiar with all factors and functionalities and advise you on the selection. Of course, taking economic aspects into account.
Flat Gasket Box - Purchase Flat Gaskets as a Set
Our flat gasket box offers a range of different standard flat gaskets. These are the most common flat gaskets in the gas-water installation or heating installation.
The flat gasket box is used by professionals and businesses as well as in the private sector. You can buy the flat gasket box online as a set. Do you have any questions? Contact us for exact details. As a customer, you can add all our products to the shopping cart in our online shop and order. The prices are incl. or excl. VAT, shipping costs and delivery time are indicated. Also order O-rings, sealing rings, sealing ring, PTFE flat seals, seals made of Viton and much more.
