Seals may appear to be uncomplicated devices, but if they fail, your product’s safety, energy efficiency, and costs may change dramatically and affect your bottom line. Therefore, you should include seals in the quality control of your supply chain because they are significant in how your product works.
Looking for ways to lower costs by outsourcing seals overseas or to lower-cost vendors can cause your product to suffer in quality and contribute to lower manufacturing efficiency. Let’s look at examples of seal usage and what could happen when the quality control of seals in supply chain management is lacking.
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Designing and Manufacturing Printing Machines for Success
Bulk-printed materials, such as books, pamphlets, newspapers, and advertisements, require the use of printing presses or printing machines. Therefore, designing parts for these machines must eliminate ink leakage to reduce waste and improve quality.
For example, while printing, the ink is routed into ink chambers to be applied to a roll with blades. As the blades apply the ink to the roll, end seals on each side contain the ink within the chamber. In addition, the ink will not leak if the seals fit on the ends of the chambers with no gaps or distortions.
The material of the end seals must be flexible, such as specially molded rubber, to stand the mechanical stresses of the rotating roll. In addition, the end seals must also stand up to the chemical properties of the ink, which can be oil- or water-based inks. Durable and custom-shaped end-seals will prevent ink leakage.
Designing and Manufacturing Food Processing Equipment for Safety
Because public safety is essential in food processing and manufacturing, gaskets and seals play a vital role in the quality of food offered for consumption. Food processing uses housing gaskets and seals to keep food from being exposed to air, dust, or contaminants that may facilitate the growth of bacteria, mold, or fungi that can endanger the public.
Food processing equipment must have seals and gaskets of a suitable material so as not to encourage the growth of poisons. Seal or gasket materials must also not degrade quickly under the exposure of cleaning solvents or food components, such as animal or vegetable fats and oils. Therefore, quality control in the supply chain becomes critical in this industry.
Designing and Manufacturing CNC Industrial Equipment for Efficiency
Water-jet cutting CNC (computer numerical control) machines can cut just about any material with water without subjecting the material to property-changing temperature fluctuations. Pumps are required to provide a steady, consistent, high-pressurized water stream to cut material.
To keep these machines running as efficiently, cost-effective, and energy-efficient as possible, the seals critical to the operation of this machine will have to withstand the high-pressure operation of the components that make up a water-jet cutting machine. The seals also have to hold up under the erosion of water and the properties of the oil. Some examples of seals used in this type of machine include:
- High-pressure o-rings
- Water seal o-rings
- Static seal o-rings
- Pneumatic rod o-ring seals
- Dynamic seals
Protect Your Bottom Line
Establishing quality control standards in the supply management of the parts you manufacture will substantially benefit you and your customers. Ensuring your supply chain is filled with high-quality seals that arrive when you need them will protect your bottom line by ensuring continued revenue, continuous operation, and low costs.
Pay close attention to the quality of seals that go into your product, and you will manufacture a safe, functional, and economical product.
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