Adding value in automated solutions

As well as ensuring air and water tightness, heat insulation and noise reduction, sealing profiles are increasingly engineered for automated insertion or machine mounting.

“Demand for automated solutions has increased considerably over the past five years in all industry segments, because automation ensures cost-efficiency and consistent quality for profile insertion in the assembly of doors, windows and other systems,” says Peter Somvall, Market Development Manager at Trelleborg Sealing Profiles.

But finding the right automation-friendly sealing profile and the right machine for the job doesn’t happen automatically. It is a process that requires material expertise, application knowledge and good contacts with dependable partners who make the specialized project-specific machines.

“We are a solution provider and want to be involved in the customer’s product and process,” states Peter. “We take responsibility from the material and design all the way to the application, and that often includes providing a gasket optimized for automation and helping customers find a machine producer they can trust.”

“Our gaskets are multi component products made in a combination of materials and we know how to get the right material in the right place to get both the required characteristics and good compatibility for automation.”

“In designing a profile for automation, we think about all the relevant aspects from the right material hardness to the right bobbin size. We develop a gasket that’s easy to insert by machine, then we use our experience to identify a machine maker that can help our customer. Following discussions with the machine producer we may fine-tune the gasket, so that it is fully optimized for their machine.”

“We have a network of machine suppliers to offer our customers, adding value to the overall solution. Our experience from working with machine builders also adds value to the process when working with existing machinery at the customers’ automated production.“

“The gasket is just part of the solution. Our coordination role in finding the most suitable machine maker is a good example of how we take responsibility throughout the process and try to find the best possible complete solution for our customers.”