What to Consider When Changing Gasket Materials

In any industrial sector, there is sometimes a need to review your gasket materials and work out if a change in material would be worthwhile. There are many reasons that there may be a desire or need to change gasket materials, for example:

• The application has changed – if the application that the gaskets are used for has changed or evolved in some way, the original specified material may no longer work as well as it did.
• Gaskets are failing – if the application has remained the same but gaskets are failing at a higher rate than in the past, this is likely as a result of the material choice. A material with slightly different attributes may be more suitable. It may be that the environment has changed, having a negative effect on gaskets and causing them to warp.
• Going green – in some cases, environmental regulations may stipulate that materials are not in compliance. You may also wish to use a material that is more environmentally friendly as part of your business’s efforts to go green.
• Money saving efforts – one of the most common reasons for switching gasket materials is to save money on gasket spend in either the short term or long term. There may be a cheaper material that would be suitable for a specific application.

Whether the decision to change gasket materials has been made based on one or a number of reasons, there are a number of things to consider in order to find the right material. If a gasket is no longer as effective, is failing frequently, is having a negative effect on the environment or even costing too much money, it’s essential to work out exactly which characteristics of the current gasket material are causing problems.

Once you have analysed the specific factors involved in your need to find a new suitable gasket material, the difficult task is to find one that ticks all the required boxes to suit the intended application. This materials table will help you to determine which material is right for your application by checking each material against its key characteristics. In some cases, there may be a less expensive gasket material that is appropriate for your application, as opposed to a more expensive material that provides other properties that are not essential.

HT800 Silicone sponge is a highly versatile gasket material. Whilst it is manufactured specifically for use within the rail and mass transit industry and is LUL underground approved, its range of useful properties mean that it is well suited for a wide range of applications. HT800 features excellent resistance to ozone and UV light and can withstand low and high temperatures. One of the biggest benefits of HT800 is its memory and low stress relaxation; these properties mean that the maintenance costs related to gasket failure can often be reduced considerably.

If you are in need of expert advice to help you make the right decision when changing gasket materials, you can call CB Frost today on +44 (0)121 773 8494 and our experienced team will be glad to assist you.