June 2018

Where to Buy Gasket Material

Jun 18, 2018

Gasketing is complicated. Every application has a unique combination of temperature, environment, media, and pressure to consider and there’s almost never a ‘one-material-suits-all’ solution. As a result, even a small HVAC, food processing or chemical application might need gasket materials ranging from nitrile rubber to EPDM, silicone, fiber and even PTFE.

Many companies will sell you some of these. The danger is that when they don’t carry a full range they’ll propose a material that’s not ideal for your application. Here’s some advice for deciding where to buy your gasket material.

Consider Material Range

Stocking nitrile rubber and neoprene foam does not constitute a full range. You should look for a vendor that carries all these types of gasket material:

  • Fiber
  • Felt
  • Cork and cork/rubber
  • Fiberglass
  • Compressed Non-Asbestos
  • Various types of rubber
  • Closed and open-cell foam
  • Graphite
  • PTFE
  • Specialized brand name materials like Viton and Santoprene

Look for Rapid Turnaround Capabilities …

It’s rare to have the luxury of buying gasket material just to put into storage. Usually, there’s an immediate need, and you can’t wait for delivery. Keeping a full range of gasket material in stock ties up money and space though, so some businesses don’t want to do it. Always look for a material supplier who maintains a comprehensive inventory.

… And Gasket Cutting Services

Material is one thing, but you still have to cut gaskets from it. A stockist with waterjet cutting capabilities can produce installation-ready gaskets in just a few hours, sometimes faster. That saves you time and results in a more accurate gasket with better edge quality.

Location is another factor to consider. Today’s rapid delivery services mean material can ship almost anywhere in the country in 24 to 48 hours, but there are still advantages to finding a local vendor. Closer is faster, and likely cheaper too.

Range and Speed

When searching for gasket material, similar isn’t good enough. It’s essential to buy the right material for each application and get it without a long wait. That’s why you should look for a supplier with a broad inventory and the ability to deliver quickly.

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Cutting with Water: How the Waterjet Machine Works

Jun 04, 2018

Waterjet cutting produces small or large gaskets in just minutes. There’s no tooling, it’s fast and edge quality is extremely good. Waterjet eliminates the wait for tooling that goes with steel rule die cutting and it avoids the heat and fumes of laser cutting. That’s why we prefer it for many different gasket materials. Here’s how it works and why we’re such fans.

High Intensity

A jet of water from a garden hose can sting the skin. In a waterjet cutting machine that jet is far thinner and traveling at supersonic speeds. The water is powered by an intensifier pump that produces 60,000 psi or more. This forces the water through a 0.006” diameter hole in a piece of sapphire.

With such high pressure and velocity, the jet of water slices through material like a knife. For cutting harder materials, adding an abrasive powder to the water increases cutting speed.

Machine Operation

The cutting head is mounted on a gantry. This spans the machine bed, which is where the material being cut is placed. Here at Hennig Gasket we can handle sheets up to 8′ x 6′. The gantry provides one axis of motion and the sheet moves under the gantry for the second. By interpolating motion between the two it’s possible to cut incredibly intricate shapes.

Waterjet machines are programmed directly from CAD files and there’s no special tooling needed. The programming package helps maximize material utilization by nesting gaskets efficiently. This, plus a very small kerf (the cut width,) helps minimize waste.

Types of Gasket Material

Cutting speed and maximum material thickness depend on hardness. Speeds of up to 500”/minute are possible, but this drops as thickness increases. Sheet EPDM, neoprene, cork and silicone gasket material can be cut quickly and accurately, and maximum thickness can be up to 6”.

Fast Turnaround

Using a waterjet to cut gaskets from sheet material is fast and cost-effective. Perhaps the biggest benefit though is the speed with which we can satisfy an order. Curious how fast that is? Put us to the test.

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