Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Simrit’s Lutterworth, Leicestershire, U.K. Facility Receives AS9120 Revision A Certification |
Oct 1126 |
To further demonstrate its commitment to meeting the complex and unique requirements of the global aerospace industry, Simrit – the industrial sealing products division of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and a supplier of customized material and technology solutions for the aerospace industry – today announced that its Lutterworth, Leicestershire, U.K. facility has been certified with the expanded AS9120 quality management system certification.
“The expanded AS9120 certification to Revision A provides Simrit the global recognition of being a reputable supplier and is an accepted industry benchmark that we’re proud to have achieved,” said Vinay Nilkanth, vice president global sales aerospace, Simrit. “As a result of this accomplishment, we’re able to better meet the expectations of our global aerospace customer base.”
The AS9120 certification was specifically written by the aerospace industry in a concerted effort to improve quality and assure the integrity of suppliers to the industry. The AS9120 designation requires suppliers to focus on the areas impacting logistics, safety and reliability, and defines requirements for batch and lot traceability, records, airworthiness and evidence of conformance.
“In addition to the immense customer benefits, the certification validates Simrit’s commitment to continually improve our processes and operational efficiencies, which are key tenets of the Simrit culture,” said Stuart Campton, sales director, aerospace Europe, Simrit. “We’re dedicated to continuous improvement and this recent designation is another demonstration of that commitment.”
The Lutterworth facility provides warehouse and logistics services to key European aerospace customers and U.K.-based industrial customers. Earlier this year, the company’s Santa Ana, Calif. facility achieved the AS9100 recertification for product design, further expanding Simrit’s global aerospace capability.
Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreation markets. Simrit’s global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Simrit’s Sealing Solutions for Wind featured in the October issue of Wind Systems magazine |
Oct 115 |
Check out this month’s Wind Systems for an in-depth article on Sealing Solutions for Wind.
For more information, visit the Renewable Energy section of our website or view Simrit’s Industry Solutions for Wind Turbines brochure.
Simrit Featured on MachineDesign’s Website |
Jul 1111 |
A new inspection technique helps improve the surface finish of hydraulic cylinder rods, leading to dramatically longer seal life. Check out the full article on Machine Design’s website.
Simrit Showcases Suite of Silicone Solutions at the 49th International Paris Air Show |
Jun 1120 |
LE BOURGET, France, June 20, 2011 – Simrit, a leading global supplier of manufactured products for the aerospace industry, will showcase its range of silicone material solutions during the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26. The aerospace-specific material portfolio, which includes high-temperature, low-density and fireproof silicone materials, offers customers innovative, low cost alternatives to current solutions.
“Silicone is an ideal material for the aerospace industry due to its ability to withstand extreme high and low temperatures, environmental hazards and common aerospace fluids,” said Vinay Nilkanth, vice president global sales aerospace, Simrit. “Simrit is able to combine silicone’s unique advantages with our extensive knowledge and capabilities in material development to create customized solutions that often times exceed specifications and customer expectations.”
Simrit’s latest material innovation is a vulcanized, high-temperature silicone rubber material used in a variety of aircraft applications, including grommets. The material is splash resistant to deterioration when exposed to typical aerospace fluids and suitable for a temperature range of minus 55°C to 260°C (intermittent to 300°C). With a minimum tensile strength of 600 pounds per square inch, the material also demonstrates excellent elongation (350 percent) and a Die B tear strength (45 pounds per inch).
Also included in the portfolio is Simrit’s proprietary low-density silicone material. Developed as a cost-effective solution that provides superior weight reduction for global aerospace customers, the AMS 3302 and AMS 3303 material offers a 15 to 20 percent weight savings over similar materials. With a specific gravity of less than one, it is an ideal solution for numerous sealing applications, including airframe seals, without sacrificing other physical properties.
For environments requiring fireproof solutions (2000°F / 1094°C at 15 minutes), Simrit has developed a fire barrier silicone material that does not require expensive fabric layups, such as ceramic and aramid. Providing a cost-effective solution with maximum value, the seal can be manufactured without fabric with a minimum thickness of .250 inches (6.35 mm) down to 0.032 inches (.81 mm) by utilizing one layer of fiberglass fabric.
Additional information about Simrit’s silicone solutions will be available at the Simrit booth (#C19) located in hall 3 at the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26 or visit www.simrit.com.
Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreation markets. Simrit’s global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Simrit Displays Aerospace Engine Sealing Portfolio at 49th International Paris Air Show |
Jun 1120 |
LE BOURGET, France, June 20, 2011 – To showcase its extensive engineering and advanced technology expertise, Simrit will demonstrate its portfolio of aerospace engine sealing solutions during the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26. The product line – consisting of brush, segmented, compact mechanical and ACTISEAL® seals – was specially developed to meet the precise needs of several aerospace applications, including engines, rockets, and space vehicles and equipment.
The demanding operating conditions encountered in today’s gas turbine engines, along with increasing environmental concerns, have created the need for an alternative to conventional labyrinth seals. As a result, brush seals were developed to accommodate the radial movements of the dynamic rotor shaft due to the flexibility of their bristles. Additionally, the free length and angle of the bristles, as well as the wire diameter, can be customized to the given application to optimize seal stiffness, resulting in low wear and leakage, and a potential reduction in fuel consumption.
Designed for gas sealing applications primarily in jet aircraft engines and gas turbines, Simrit’s circumferential segmented seals are ideal for high-performance equipment where large axial shaft movements, space requirements, weight reduction and / or efficiency are major concerns. Containing a set of segmented carbon rings that contact the shaft (or runner) to form a circumferential dynamic seal, they also serve a wide range of applications in rotating machinery, such as compressors and blowers.
Compact mechanical seals are stationary, “face” type seals designed for a variety of applications, including aircraft engine accessory gearboxes and main shafts, hydraulic pumps, starters, compressors, industrial generators and other high-speed rotating machinery. Uniquely, Simrit offers custom-engineered seal configurations, as well as previously developed and proven materials and designs to meet customers’ varying needs.
Simrit’s static metal ACTISEAL seals are used between surfaces that have little or no movement to prevent the passage, flow or leakage of a gas or fluid. Offering a substantial track record of success in solving leakage problems, the ACTISEAL line consists of three solutions, ACTISEAL–C, ACTISEAL–E and ACTISEAL–W, to match varying customer needs.
Additional information about Simrit’s jet engine seals will be available at the Simrit booth (#C19) located in hall 3 at the 49th International Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, France from June 20 to 26 or visit www.simrit.com.
Simrit is part of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies and offers an extensive portfolio of precision-manufactured products for the aerospace, agriculture, appliance, construction, energy, fluid power, mechanical power generation, mechanical power transmission and recreation markets. Simrit’s global sales exceed $1.3 billion. For more information, visit the Simrit website at www.simrit.com.
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Simrit’s Exceeding Limits, Part 4: Media |
Jun 1114 |
Oils, greases, gases as well as aggressive media take their toll on seals. Through interdisciplinary cooperation, Simrit has developed new materials which are suitable for increasingly popular fully synthetic lubricants. Below is part four in the four part Exceeding Limits series.
The star among FKMs
When you are the record holder it can be hard to push your own limits higher once again. However, this is exactly what Simrit has done with the material innovation Wear-Resistant FKM. Simrit developed a particularly hard-wearing fluoroelastomer (FKM) for use with synthetic engine oils (e.g. polyalkylene glycol/PAG) which clearly outperforms Simrit’s FKM 585—already the benchmark for drive applications.
Synthetic oils, particularly polyglycols, which are now increasingly used in units for drive technology—for example in industrial engines—can be highly aggressive media for seals in various application areas. That is why the two partners in the tribological system, the shaft and even more so the radial shaft seal, have to cross previous limits if a service life of more than 20,000 operating hours (as demanded by many drive technology manufacturers) is to be achieved.
Development processes according to Six Sigma
Such demands on service life cannot be fulfilled with synthetic oils and, what has been until now the leading material, FKM 585.
It was obvious that a whole string of parameters, mostly to do with a reduction of wear, had to be optimized in order to reach such an ambitious development goal. The basic research examined a large number of parameters, but primarily the effect which compound ingredients have on wear and tear. Wear behavior and related tightness of a sealing material are important characteristics and require a tailor-made polymer structure. This is why Simrit decided to act in close cooperation with one of the leading polymer suppliers to work on different optimization areas.
The general conditions of the method were also clear: all steps within the development and control process—including the test for process ability, abrasion and tightness—were to be designed and evaluated according to the Six Sigma quality principle.
Distance to competitors has been increased yet again
Success soon followed: The best results were achieved in connection with a particular polymer. A new mixing method allows the material to be processed in injection molding technology which means that the new material can in many cases also be used in existing tooling. Wear-Resistant FKM clearly extends previous limits: In highly demanding dynamic screening tests in polyglycol oils Simmerrings made from polyalkylene glycols (PAG) show a contact surface width of less than 0.25 mm. This provides manufacturers of drive technology units with tangible advantages: Longer service life and good medium resistance in synthetic oils. The already poor performance of other available FKM materials in comparison to Simrit’s current standard material FKM 585 means that the distance to other market players achieved by the new material Wear-Resistant FKM will be even greater.
For more information visit: www.simrit.com/exceeding-limits/media.