An outstanding example of what is possible in our production: a rotary shaft seal for a shaft diameter of exactly 1 mm. The project shows not only the technical skill involved, but also how the requirements of highly sensitive industries such as food processing and medical technology can be met.
The technical challenges
Developing a seal for a 1 mm shaft diameter calls for a precise understanding of material, manufacturing technology and the mechanics of the application. Three points were critical:
- Material selection: The elastomer has to be durable and at the same time offer extreme flexibility and dimensional accuracy.
- Manufacture: A seal of this size requires specialized tooling and manufacturing methods.
- Functional reliability: At such dimensions neither leakage nor material fatigue may occur.
We solved this with specially matched elastomers in combination with our production processes — which makes the seal both robust and dimensionally accurate.
Use in the food industry
Seals are exposed to extreme conditions here: high hygiene requirements, temperature changes and aggressive cleaning agents.
- FDA-compliant materials to the applicable food safety standards.
- Hygienic design with no cavities in which deposits can form.
- Temperature resistance for processing and cleaning alike.
Typical applications: beverage filling lines, packaging machines, food pumps and mixers.
Use in medical technology
In medical technology, precision, cleanability and sterilisability are what count. Seals of this order of size are used where installation space and torque are both scarce.
- Centrifuges and cell separation
- Pumps and metering units
- Instruments and sensors
- Capillary tubes from 0.6 mm diameter
Editorial note: in the original post this section was word for word identical to the food section — evidently a copy-and-paste error. It has been rewritten on the basis of our medical technology page and should be checked by a specialist.
Why this project matters
The ability to develop and manufacture highly specialized seals makes us a partner for demanding projects. Even at the smallest dimensions — and from a batch size of one.