Material Updates

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Date: 20.05.21
Learn about new materials from Trelleborg Sealing Solutions that help to improve application performance and improve efficiency.

HMF48 – Improved Flat Gasket Material for Food Contact Applications

A NEW FLAT GASKET MATERIAL AIMS TO IMPROVE PROCESSING OF FOOD AND BEVERAGES.

As with many industries, modern food and beverage applications are placing higher demands on seals. Though regulations for food contact materials define approved ingredients and migration limit values to determine safety, manufacturers are still looking for ways to improve the performance in application.

 

“We have been working with our customers and seeking out new solutions to help them meet their challenging requirements, and critically, we are applying our breadth of experience in materials and seal design”, says Rudolf Hawellek, Senior Specialist in Food Contact Materials at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions.

 

The materials used for seals place limits on the temperatures and chemicals used within the system. “These applications require high mechanical resistance, but also extensive chemical resistance and resilience to high temperatures, whether in processing or in cleaning regimes” says Rudolf.

 

Formulated from virgin polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and enhanced with high-quality approved fillers, the new HMF48 material offers a ‘universal’ solution for food and beverage processing.

 

“HMF48 is an ideal material for flat gaskets. We’ve been making this kind of seal for decades, but this new material is adding to the number of applications that can be improved,” says Rudolf.

 

Flat gasket designs are extremely mechanically stable to start with, and the materials used resist the temperatures and chemicals used. With a pure white appearance without any coloring, frequently specified for food applications, the new material enhances the temperature range from -210°C to +260°C/-346 °F to +500 °F and offers pressure resistance from vacuum up to 83 bar, and all-round process chemical resistance.

 

Trelleborg material formulation experts spent time perfecting the composition of fillers. “Extensive internal testing and iterative development allowed us to develop this new compound. Over other materials, we’ve stopped cold flow and reduced hot creep. It’s blow-out proof, in accordance with VDI guideline 2200, and has excellent leakage properties, meeting the German Clean Air Act requirements,” says Rudolf.


As with other food contact materials, different regulations from around the world must be met, especially for manufacturers who produce food and beverages for multiple countries.

 

“This material can be used globally, it’s fully approved with EU, FDA and Chinese GB guidelines, amongst others,” says Rudolf, “but crucially, its all-encompassing field of application permits standardization of many different types of seals allowing safe seal designs and consistent calculations.”

Quick Facts about HMF48
Quick Facts about HMF48
  • Carries all global certifications, including FDA, EU and Chinese GB guidelines
  • All around material, with chemical and temperature resistance
  • Universal applicability enables standardization of many different types of seals
  • Large variety of thickness and sheet formats allows simple and inexpensive production of almost any seal geometry
  • Gaskets characteristics in accordance with DIN EN 13555, allowing design of permanent tight flange connections
  • Availability of all important gasket constants allows safe seal designs and calculation
  • Unlimited shelf life
 
Electrically
Electrically conductive materials: Turcon® MC1 and MC2

COMPLETELY UNIQUE TO THE MARKET, TWO NEW ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIALS ALLOW NEW DYNAMIC APPLICATIONS.

Sealing materials are finding innovative new uses in high-tech applications. Virgin PTFE is an excellent insulator, with resistivity around 2x1017 Ohm-cm. Previously, only by inserting carbon fillers up to a threshold point and interconnected within the PTFE matrix, could any electrical productivity be added.


In most cases, the conductivity was discovered by accident, but these new materials have been deliberately engineered and optimized to offer this functionality.


“Conductive elastomers are available, but these are primarily only for static applications, while the conductive, injection moldable plastic materials that exist have low flexibility and are less suited for sealing purposes and for installation in closed grooves,” says Soeren Roepstorff, Development Manager at Trelleborg’s manufacturing facility in Helsingør, Denmark, where the new compounds were developed.


For spring and elastomer-energized dynamic applications, this conductivity was nearly impossible. But these new compounds open up exciting fields and applications that were not previously possible.

 

“Now seals and bearings can provide a reliable electrical connection between the moving parts,” says Soeren. “There has been a strong demand for drive electrification, and new opportunities within eMobility, sensing and IoT applications that these new materials can take advantage of and provide engineers with opportunities in grounding or transmitting signals through the seals themselves.”


Consider an aircraft generating static through flying, or charges between gaps in components causing sparks. These compounds allow safe and efficient dissipation of this charge.


Further still, with high-tech applications, rather than using additional circuitry, sensors can send signals directly through the seals, enabling more compact and complex systems.
A dedicated test rig was designed for testing Turcon® MC1 and MC2 to simulate real life conditions. Results showed negligible dry-contact resistance even with low contact
pressure and system fluids. The low resistance shown proved its conductivity.


“Turcon® MC1 and Turcon® MC2 meet our customers’ demands for conductive plastic sealing materials that will work effectively and reliably as seals and bearings in dynamic applications. With them, designers can take advantage of using a range of advanced PTFE-based sealing geometries and all the benefits that they offer in applications that require electrical conductivity through a hydraulic system or electric motor, for instance,” finishes Soeren