When sourcing and buying gaskets, buyers often have two purchasing options: buy pre-made “off-the-shelf” gaskets or choose to buy gaskets that are custom cut to your exact needs and specifications. In many sourcing situations, custom cut gaskets are the preferred option.
Why choose custom cut gaskets?
By their very nature, off-the-shelf gaskets are not designed and built to your exact specifications. With the bewildering array of gasketing materials available in the marketplace today, many buyers require guidance to select the optimal material for their process or application. In addition, to ensure that a gasket will service the full demands of an application, custom cutting ensures that all the requirements and specifications will be met in the finished product.
For top sealing performance, it is important to ensure that any gasket you buy will meet all your requirements and needs. Producers, such as CRG, who specialize in custom cut gaskets help buyers to understand the full range of their application requirements. These include:
General application requirements. These include the type of equipment, process, or joint onto which the gasket will be installed, as well as the type of service (continuous or intermittent), the needed configuration, geometry and dimensions, fastening requirements, regulatory requirements and more.
Service temperature, including temperature range and continuous maximum service temperature.
Service pressure, including maximum pressure, pressure range, variability from process cycling, and PxT (pressure times temperature) values.
Media compatibility, indicating how well-matched the gasket is to the fluids or gases being sealed.
Durometer and compression set. Durometer refers to the hardness of a gasket, while compression set how well a gasket will return to its original thickness after a load has been imposed.
Depending upon your application, an off-the-shelf gasket may or may not serve the full range of your application requirements. Should an off-the-shelf gasket come up short in meeting any of these requirements, sealing performance will be compromised, leading to gasket failure and costly replacements and interventions. Choosing a custom cut gasket that meets all the application requirements is the best way to avoid these costly field failures.
What about costs?
Because many buyers are sensitive to total life-cycle costs, custom cut gaskets do not have to be more expensive than those purchased off-the-shelf. CNC cutting allows us to avoid tooling costs and nest jobs and operations, leading to lower production costs. In addition, the superior quality, fit and finish of CRG custom cut gaskets means better in-field performance, leading to fewer failures and replacements.
Custom cut gaskets from CRG
With today’s high-precision CNC cutting equipment, CRG can produce custom cut gaskets from almost any material, including elastomers, foams and sponges, non-wovens (including cork and felt), ceramic paper and fibers, polypropylene, EMI shielding materials, and more. All production takes place in our ISO 9001:2015 registered facility, with quality, assured at every point in the production process. We are equally adept at handling small or large orders, and we protect your throughput with fast delivery by your need-by date.
To find out more about the custom cut gaskets which CRG can supply, please contact our sales team directly at crg@canadarubbergroup.com.