Mechanical Seal
Repairs Gasket Cutting
Die Formed Packing
Die Formed Grafoil
Spiral Wound Gaskets
Custom Stitched Tadpole
CNC Machined PTFE
Molded PTFE
Vulcanized O-Rings
Non Asbestos Gaskets
Non Asbestos Gaskets
We cut Non Asbestos Gaskets from all the major manufacturers materials including, Garlock, Klinger, Johns Manville, Donex, Dx Seal, RM, John Crane, Durabla Manufacturing, Thermoseal, or any of the private branded styles. We can cut your gaskets using waterjet or steel rule dies.
Gaskets cut to your dimensions from Non-Asbestos gasket materials.
In the 1970's there was no such product as Non-asbestos gasketing. Asbestos was the product of the day and why not, it was effective, low cost and as long is it was handled properly it was safe.
In the 1980's asbestos became a dirty word, and for good reason it caused cancer. The problem was the baby got thrown out with the bath water. The asbestos in asbestos gasket material was embedded in the rubber it was blended with so, unless you took a grinder to the material to separate the asbestos out and then breathed in the asbestos (which could be avoided by oiling or wetting the material first), it was not going to hurt you. Even so, the lawyers got to work on it and effectively killed the industry. The only remaining manufacturing of asbestos gasket material is off shore. Today, very few distributors in the USA will carry it (including this one) most will only sell non-asbestos gasket materials. American Seal & Packing has never sold any asbestos product and only sells non-asbestos compressed gasket materials.
Johns Manville took the biggest hit, once the largest distributor of gasket material in the Untied States (JM 60 was a standard), their liability was the worst since they also produced asbestos insulation. The asbestos fibers were easily released from insulation and easily breathed in. Johns Manville eventually declared Chapter 11 and sold off divisions. The gasket material division was later reformed as a portion of JM Clipper and no longer sold asbestos.
In the 1980's the industry was prone. The first company to come out with a quality non-asbestos substitute and to market it well was Garlock. At the time Garlock was the number two seller of compressed asbestos gasket material (number 3 was Durabla Manufacturing). Garlock came out with their "Blue Guard" line and although it was not as good as asbestos in many applications it was better than a potential law suit. Before long Garlock was number 1. U.S. Gasket material customers were afraid of purchasing any asbestos containing product. With the exception of the Oil refineries.
The refineries took their case to the supreme court and won the right to maintain the use of asbestos gasket material since no other product at the time was proven to be as effective. It did not make sense to protect workers from asbestos but not protect them from a failed gasket which in some applications (such as a steam line) can cause death. People have been cut in half by walking past a leaking steam flange due to gasket failure. The refineries won and still use asbestos gasket material to this day. To the best of our knowledge that product is generally Durabla Manufacturing's "Durabla Black" a very high grade asbestos sheet. Durabla Mfg. produces their material in Canada.
Most of todays non-asbestos gasket materials contain either Kevlar, an aramid fiber, fiberglass, carbon, graphite or another mineral fiber. Todays manufacturers include: Garlock, Klinger (Now Thermoseal Inc.), Durabla Manufacturing, JM Clipper (Now Parker Hannifin) and DXSEAL. Most of the manufacturers are now producing off shore.
Regardless of the manufacturer, the basics are the filler and the elastomer used. While no two compounds (or the % of filler) are identical, the basic Elastomers are: NBR (Buna-N), SBR, EPDM or Neoprene. If you examine which material you need (as defined by the application) and select the non-asbestos gasket material with that elastomer you will usually do well. This method will also allow you to select a competitive brand that will serve your application. No two materials are identical so caution must always be exercised. In general the common "Binders" are:
NBR - good for oils, gas, mild chemicals and water
SBR - good for saturated Steam, mild chemicals inert gas and water
Neoprene - good for saturated steam, refrigerants, oils, fuels, mild acids and alkalies and water.
EPDM - good for saturated steam, mild chemicals and water
Each material listed regardless of manufacture will indicate the "Binder" which makes cross referencing equal materials a much easier task. You should however pay attention to Tensile strength (for pressure resistance) Temperature ratings, and Compression / Recovery ratings.
You must also consider Size, Temperature, Application, Media, Pressure, Speed (if dynamic) of your specific application. If this is for a finished gasket you will also want to consider bolt loads, the size of bolts, the number of bolts, the bolt material and the available torque.
We at American Seal & Packing can assist you with a material selection of non-asbestos gasket materials or sell to you a non-asbestos gasket material on-line at ww.sealsales.com. We can also offer a number of non-asbestos gasket manufacturers products to meet your specifications.
When it comes to cutting gaskets there are several ways to get the job done. Traditional "clicker presses" are great for larger quantity jobs and have been the standard in the industry for years. The biggest down side to using clicker presses is tooling must be made to produce a gasket.
Just as CNC lathes revolutionized the machining industry, laser cutters, routers and water jet are all computer controled ways of cutting a gasket with out the need for tooling or dies.
Specialized sealing products like Grafoil®
flexible graphite, FKM, Ameri-lon®, Kalrez®, Chemrez®, and more common materials for cut gaskets like: PTFE, filled PTFE, FKM, Viton®, silicone, rubber, buna, EPDM, cork, fish paper, vegetable fiber, and non-asbestos Cut Gaskets.
If you have a cut gasket application that requires more than traditional
solutions, let our team of cut gasket professionals help.
Manufacturers we represent
Flow Serve, Borg Warner, Durametallic,
AST, Utex Industries, JM Clipper, Sepco, Donex, DX Seal, Flex-a-Seal,
Pure Flex, Parker, Leader Gasket, Burgmann.
Though trading partners we can also offer Flexitallic, Garlock, A.W.
Chesterton, Anchor, and other major brands.
Cut Gaskets
Fills the space between two objects, generally to prevent leakage between the two objects while under compression. Cut Gaskets saves money by allowing less precise mating surfaces on machine parts which can use Cut Gaskets to fill irregularities. Gaskets are commonly produced by cutting from sheet Cut Gaskets, such as gasket paper (beater addition), Non-asbestos, Rubber, EPDM, Nitrile, Buna, Neoprene, Flexible Graphite, Grafoil®, Aflas, Kalrez®, Viton®, Silicone, Metal, Mica, Felt or a plastic polymer such as (PTFE), Peek, Urethane, or Ethylene Propylene (EP). In the past, the Cut Gaskets selected for specific applications may contain have contained asbestos.
Today's sealing products manufacturer's in the United States no longer produce or offer any asbestos containing products. Cut Gaskets containing asbestos have been claimed to have caused Asbestosis. Of course it would take the grinding of Cut Gaskets to release the fibers and then the breathing in of those fibers....possible but in the real world this would be rare. Wetting or oiling a gasket before grinding for removal greatly reduces any risk (not grinding is even better). Asbestos Cut Gaskets is still used in most of the rest of the world and is a very effective low cost material.
It is usually desirable that the gaskets be made from a material that is compressible such that it tightly fills the space it is designed for, including any slight irregularities. The most common misconception when selecting a Cut Gasketss thickness is to choose a Cut Gaskets that is too thick. The thicker the material the more likely the material being contained can weep through the pores of the Cut Gaskets itself. This is a greater issue with some materials than others. A rule of thumb is to have the material thick enough to compensate for any surface face irregularities and to permit some compression. The required compression for your Cut Gaskets will depend many factors including:
1)Surface area
2)Pressure being sealed
3)Size of bolts (assuming bolts are being used)
4)Number of bolts
5)Condition of the bolts
6)Lubrication on the bolts
All must be considered when determining torque. Torque data must be determined using all of the above and should be provided by an engineer. In most cases unless your gasket is a standard ANSI or API flange using Ring or Full Face gaskets torque data will be difficult to come by (due to staffing and the fear of law suits). In most cases the old tighten it tight enough to stop any leaks but not too tight as to completely crush the gasket is generally accepted.
Over compression of Cut Gaskets is a common problem with metal gaskets which have mechanically designed recovery built into the gasket. Over compression removes the Cut Gaskets ability to recover. This is also true of expanded PTFE, once over compressed it will have no recovery and therefore will not longer adapt to maintain a seal. The common strategy of "The more compressive load exerted on the gasket, the longer it will last" is generally true of elastomeric materials since elastomers (rubbers) are not compressible but deflect compression. Many materials such as non-asbestos compressed Cut Gasketss and beater addition (ie; Armstrong) materials contain elastomers in the mix of material they are produced from, making them difficult to over compress.
One of the more desirable properties of an effective Cut Gaskets in industrial applications is the ability to withstand high compressive loads. Most industrial gasket applications involve bolts exerting compression well into the 14 MPa (2000 psi) range or higher. This is why Non-asbestos Cut Gaskets are so widely used in industrial Cut Gaskets applications.
American Seal & Packing Cuts Gaskets of all types, Including: PTFE, compressed non-asbestos, vegetable fiber, beater add, cork, and various rubbers - Nitrile, Buna-N, SBR, EPDM, Viton®, FKM, Hypalon, Aflas®, natural rubber, closed cell, open cell, Neoprene, GRAFOIL® Flexible Graphite and other "soft goods".
Gaskets can be cut based on your drawing or sample of the gasket you desire. Basic I.D x O.D shapes can be cut by hand however most gaskets require a die.
Gasket materials are available in rolls or on pallets depending on type and quantity. Name brands we can provide include; Brand G®, Donex, DX Seal, Mainland Sealing, Klinger, Johns Manville, RM, Detroit, Utex and GRAFOIL® Flexible Graphite among other gasket styles.
So, if you want a cut gasket or gasket material so you can cut your own, we can help.
