By Lily Bearings
©2004-2008
The latest ECOPUR® range of sealing materials from SKF Economos, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of industrial seals and engineered plastics, provides the optimum sealing solution for virtually any industrial application. Combining resistance to abrasion, compression and tearing with a choice of purpose specific properties, the comprehensive range of materials allows U-rings, lip seals, wipers, chevron packings, dampers and other machined parts to be produced that offer long life in the most challenging conditions.
ECOPUR is ideal for use in seals that are in contact with mineral oil, water up to 40ˇăC and biodegradable hydraulic oils, such as vegetable oils and synthetic esters up to 60ˇăC. Depending on the seal design and the installation housing, seals made of ECOPUR can be used in pressures of up to 400 bar or higher where anti-extrusion rings are used.
The ECOPUR range incorporates a number of variants that have been developed for specific applications. These include H-ECOPUR, which is FDA approved and has a high resistance to hydrolysis, making it suited to use in water, HFA and HFB fluids, and biologically degradable hydraulic fluids; G-ECOPUR, which offers similar properties to H-ECOPUR but can be used to produce seals of up to 4000mm; T-ECOPUR, which is modified for deep temperature applications as low as -50ˇăC; and S-ECOPUR, the new polyurethane brand with optimised friction and wear characteristics for severe applications such as water hydraulics and oil-free pneumatics.
For more extreme applications, a harder grade of ECOPUR called X-ECOPUR is also available, which offers higher extrusion resistance than standard materials and, therefore, allows higher pressures to be withstood at the same geometries. X-ECOPUR is available in diameters of up to 2m for the production of large diameter sealing solutions.
All of the materials in the ECOPUR range are available as single piece or small to medium quantities with short delivery times, while moulded production for high quantities reduces costs for end users.