Archive for July, 2008
Simrit Published in Design News- Sealed for Takeoff |
Jul 0828 |
Please click here to see the full article.
Simrit to Unveil Simriz® 508 Compound at SEMICON West 2008 |
Jul 0810 |
SAN FRANCISCO, July 15, 2008 – To specifically address the evolving needs of the semiconductor industry, Simrit – the industrial sealing products division of Freudenberg-NOK – will debut its Simriz® 508 material during SEMICON West 2008. Simrit’s new material was specifically developed for demanding, high-temperature static and dynamic sealing applications in dry chemical environments.
Simriz 508 is a white perfluoroelastomer (FFKM) material that has a service temperature range of negative six to 300 degrees Celsius and exhibits excellent plasma resistance and minimum particulation in a wide-range of plasma environments. The O-ring is a cost-effective sealing solution that offers very low trace element contamination in both wet and plasma applications.
Ideal for a variety of dry processes, including deposition, oxide and metal plasma etching, ashing, metallization, ion implant and others, the Simriz 508 material is appropriate for the following equipment locations: chamber lid seals; bell jar seals; endpoint windows; gas inlet seals; isolator valve seals; KF fittings; slit valve seals; valve seals; and window seals. Designed for thermal stability and nearly universal protection against chemical attack, Simrit’s proprietary family of Simriz FFKM compounds offers premier sealing performance. All of the Simriz compounds approach PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) chemical resistance and have excellent plasma resistance for dry processing. Simrit is the single-source developer of Simriz, starting with the base polymer, thus ensuring complete oversight and continuity in the compounding process, and eliminating any need for costly outsourcing.
For more information or to speak with a Simrit representative about the Simriz 508 material, visit the Simrit booth (#N6289) during SEMICON West 2008 held here from July 15 to 17.
The Simrit Division is based at Freudenberg-NOK’s headquarters in Plymouth, Mich. and is part of the Freudenberg and NOK Group, which has total annual sales of more than $12 billion. Simrit offers an extensive portfolio of sealing solutions for the aerospace, appliance, diesel engine, industrial, marine, off-highway equipment, oil and gas, recreational vehicle and semiconductor markets. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Editor’s Note: For an electronic image of the Simriz 508 O-ring, please contact Adriana Ferrari at 248-269-1122 or aferrari@bianchipr.com
Simrit’s E454, E458 Compounds Outperform Competition in Aerospace Applications |
Jul 0810 |
FARNBOROUGH, Hampshire, England (July 10, 2008) – Simrit, the industrial sealing products division of the Freudenberg and NOK Group, enhances aerospace applications with its specialized sealing solutions, materials and technologies. To highlight its material performance, the company recently released three new application case studies demonstrating the success of its E454 and E458 EPDM (ethylene-propylene rubber) compounds in real world applications.
Simrit’s materials and products allow its customers to keep passengers safe while in the air. With years of experience in the design and manufacture of elastomeric seals and custom-molded products, Simrit supplies major airframe manufacturers, prime contractors and subcontractors worldwide.
“Given industry demands, our aerospace customers require only the best quality products and systems to accurately manage their sealing needs,” said Dr. Bob Keller, manager of materials development for Simrit. “Since their debut in the market in 2005, our E454 and E458 compounds have performed exceptionally well in commercial aircraft hydraulic systems. As proof, major aerospace manufacturers who previously used competitive O-rings have recently switched to our E454 and E458 O-rings due to their excellent sealing capabilities.”
Simrit’s E454 black compound is compliant with NAS-1613 Rev. 5 requirements for O-ring packings designed for hydraulic systems using phosphate ester fluids. This material is intended for NAS-1611-XXXA and NAS-1612-XXXA (A-code) series O-ring.
Simrit’s E458 is also a black compound that is compliant with NAS-1613 Rev. 2 requirements for O-ring packings in high-density hydraulic systems using phosphate ester fluids. This material is fitting for NAS-1611-XXX and NAS-1612-XXX (no-code) series O-ring and has a permanent white stripe and white dot marking on suitable O-ring sizes.
As a testament to their success, Simrit points to the following case studies to demonstrate these compounds’ superior performance in real world applications.
Case Study 1: Simrit E458 and Power Control Unit
Issue: A major power control unit manufacturer using competitive O-rings was experiencing leakage of low density phosphate ester fluid. The leakage was occurring early in the life of the units – most often during the initial customer delivery – causing damage to the aircraft’s paint. The manufacturer was liable for the costly re-paint of the aircrafts.
Investigation: Testing and comparison of Simrit E458 O-rings to competitive O-rings in low-density phosphate ester hydraulic fluids demonstrated Simrit’s E458 O-ring was superior to competitive material in fluid resistance. Lengthy, long term cyclic power control unit tests by the manufacturer showed the superiority of Simrit E458 O-ring to competitive materials, as they demonstrated 100 times the leakage of Simrit’s E458 O-rings.
Solution: The customer is now switching its power control units to use Simrit E458 O-ring to prevent early life fluid leakage and damage to aircraft paint.
Case Study 2: Simrit E454 and Control System Spool Valve
Issue: A valve manufacturer using competitive O-rings was experiencing extrusion after four to five years of service. The debris from the ruptured O-rings were clogging and jamming the valves, therefore leading to flight control failures and the grounding of high-capacity commercial airliners.
Investigation: Testing and Finite Element Analysis by Simrit showed that the E454 compound will not suffer extrusion damage at the pressure and temperature extremes in the application valve. Cyclic testing by the valve manufacturer validated Simrit’s analysis.
Solution: The manufacturer is switching from competitive O-rings to Simrit E454 O-rings to prevent the extrusion problems and solve the flight control failure issues.
Case Study 3: Simrit E454 and Hydraulic Fittings
Issue: A major commercial aircraft was experiencing leaking of fittings using both low- and high-density phosphate ester hydraulic fluids. These fittings are in exposed areas where flight-crew walk-arounds detected the leakage and were grounding flights, causing delays and lost revenues for customers.
Investigation: Short- and long-term behavior testing and comparison by Simrit of the E454 O-ring to competitive materials demonstrated superior performance to competitive materials in both high- and low-density phosphate ester hydraulic fluids and compression sets. Cyclic hot and cold pressure testing of Simrit E454 and competitive materials by airframe manufacturer verified that Simrit E454 is the only material that showed acceptable performance in both high-density and low-density phosphate ester hydraulic fluids.
Solution: Airframe manufacturer issued service letter to customers recommending use of Simrit E454 for all problem applications.
Those interested in additional information about Simrit’s E454 and E458 EPDM materials can visit the Simrit booth (hall 3, stand B3) at the Farnborough International Airshow in England from July 14 to 20.
The Simrit Division is based at Freudenberg-NOK’s headquarters in Plymouth, Mich. and is part of the Freudenberg and NOK Group, which has total annual sales of more than $12 billion. Simrit offers an extensive portfolio of sealing solutions for the aerospace, appliance, diesel engine, industrial, marine, off-highway equipment, oil and gas, recreational vehicle and semiconductor markets.
For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Editor’s note: For electronic images of Simrit’s E454 and E458 compounds, please contact Adriana Ferrari at 248-269-1122 or aferrari@bianchipr.com.
Simriz® 498 Compound Created Specifically for High-Temperature Aircraft Environments |
Jul 0810 |
FARNBOROUGH, Hampshire, England (July 10, 2008) – For years, Simrit – the industrial sealing products division of the Freudenberg and NOK Group – has been on the forefront of perfluoroelastomer (FFKM) material design and production with its Simriz® brand of proprietary compounds. One of the supplier’s latest materials – Simriz® 498 – recently aided a major regional jet manufacturer in drastically reducing its sealing-related warranty issues.
According to Simrit, the superior resilience of Simriz materials makes them an excellent choice for demanding environments where protection against aggressive chemicals and tight sealing is required. Simriz 498 is a high-temperature, low-compression set compound that was specifically developed for applications where temperatures exceed 300 degrees Celsius. The black FFKM material offers outstanding chemical and solvent resistance, including compatibility with nitric acid and amine chemicals.
“Being the single-source developer of Simriz allows us complete oversight to ensure we’re producing the best quality materials and sealing technologies. Starting with the base polymer, we design and manufacture all of our products to the specific demands of the application’s environment,” said Dr. Bob Keller, manager of materials development for Simrit. “In the aerospace industry, using the precise material to create a specific seal is one of the critical elements in keeping our customer’s flights where they belong – in the air, not on the ground due to unnecessary product failures.”
As an example of how the Simriz 498 compound keeps flights in the air, Simrit cites the following application case analysis.
Issue: A regional commercial jet company was encountering leaks in its bleed air systems used in a variety of applications (heating, flaps, slats). The leaks were not only grounding aircrafts – causing flight delays and lost revenue – but also creating warranty issues for both the airframe manufacturer and bleed air system component manufacturer.
The problem was isolated to the failure of the competitive seals made from FFKM materials. Additionally, bleed air seal leaks were also identified by Pareto analysis as the major warranty item for this aircraft.
Investigation: Extensive evaluations were conducted in Simrit’s lab, including: detailed measurement of bleed air duct glands and construction of test fixtures to simulate the application hardware; long-term compression set testing comparing Simriz 498 O-rings to competitive materials at worst case high temperature extremes; and detailed measurement of mating components during the seal testing.
In testing, the competitive materials showed excessive compression set and seal rupture at long-term exposure, as well as excessive corrosion of mating Inconel and titanium metal components during high temperature exposure. Alternatively, Simriz 498 seals tested superior to competitive materials, demonstrating greater resistance to compression set and negligible mating component corrosion.
Simrit also conducted a 5,000 flight hour examination of trial seals in Simriz 498. When compared to lab testing, Simriz 498 seals showed they had more than two-thirds of their expected service remaining life after 5,000 flight hours – easily reaching the airline target of 10,000 flight hours before the overhaul of bleed air systems (where competitive seals do not).
Additionally, to eliminate the possibility of assembly issues, Simrit added part markings to Simriz 498 seals to give a visual cue to the mechanics to Poka Yoke the assembly process. This method is not offered by the competition.
Solution: Regional jet operators switched to Simriz 498 seals and eliminated bleed air systems seal failures as the main warranty issue with the aircraft.
Those interested in additional information about the Simriz 498 material can visit the Simrit booth (hall 3, stand B3) at the Farnborough International Airshow in England from July 14 to 20.
The Simrit Division is based at Freudenberg-NOK’s headquarters in Plymouth, Mich. and is part of the Freudenberg and NOK Group, which has total annual sales of more than $12 billion. Simrit offers an extensive portfolio of sealing solutions for the aerospace, appliance, diesel engine, industrial, marine, off-highway equipment, oil and gas, recreational vehicle and semiconductor markets.
For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Editor’s note: For electronic images of the Simriz 498 compound, please contact Adriana Ferrari at 248-269-1122 or aferrari@bianchipr.com.