- Email: [email protected]
Conference focuses on high-performance elastomers
NEWS
IN BRIEF Flexitallic boosts production with £400 000 technology investment In the UK, Flexitallic Ltd, which manufactures and supplies static sealing products, has announced that it has invested £400 000 in a new industrial laser cutting machine. The company says that the new Bystronic laser expands to three the number of machines it has at its disposal – increasing production, reducing lead times and broadening the range of laser cutting services. The machine has both oxygen and nitrogen cutting capabilities and offers high-speed precision cutting and minimum heat distortion of the sheet parts, says the firm. Simrit Expands Merkel Xpress rapid prototype seal service to Brazil Simrit recently expanded its Merkel Xpress service to its Brazilian operations to assist customers in need of quickly manufactured customised seals. The Merkel Xpress rapid prototype and production cell was installed at the company’s facility in Diadema, São Paulo, and can produce a variety of seals in a short time frame – usually within 24 hours. The service is supported by a team of sales, engineering, manufacturing and logistics professionals. Christopher Associates distributes Tonsan sealing systems in North America Christopher Associates Inc of Santa Ana, California, USA, recently announced an agreement to provide applications support, and engineering and distribution services for the Tonsan frame sealant dispensing systems in the North American market place. Used by photovoltaic module manufacturers these automatic sealant dispensing systems are recognised as the leading technology in Asia, with more than 65% market share. More information: www.christopherweb.com Shop-floor roundness system is designed for rapid throughput UK-based Taylor Hobson Ltd has designed the Surtronic R-Series roundness system to ensure that higher sampling rates are achieved. This instrument is able to accurately check three parts per minute including set-up time. Although many times faster than traditional bench-top roundness systems, the Surtronic R-series experiences no loss of precision or accuracy, says the firm. Full ISOcompliant measurements can be taken with ±25 nm accuracy and 6 nm gauge resolution. More information: www.taylor-hobson.com
6
Sealing Technology
its dependence on temperature and time. Development of an understanding of the mechanisms of thermal degradation will help chemists to create materials with better thermal stability. This is particularly important in newer developments in engineering and aerospace. This book reviews, in nine chapters, the measurement of these properties in the main types of polymers that are in use today. Numerous techniques are discussed – ranging from thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared technology and methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance to pyrolytic techniques, such as those based on pyrolysis, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Further details on ‘Thermal Stability of Polymers’ (ISBN: 9781847355133), including a table of contents, are available from Smithers Rapra’s Web-site at the address given below. Contact: Smithers Rapra UK, Shawbury, Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4NR, UK. Tel: +44 1939 250383, Web: http://info.smithersrapra.com
Report analyses worldwide markets for gaskets and seals
A
report now available from Research and Markets Ltd of Dublin, Ireland, analyses the worldwide markets for gaskets and seals. Entitled ‘Gaskets and Seals – Global Strategic Business Report’, coverage is broken down into two broad product segments – gaskets (metallic and non-metallic) and seals (mechanical and others). The end-use categories covered include the automotive industry; process, refinery and other general machinery sectors; pulp and paper; and the marine and rail segments. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the markets in the USA, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Latin America. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through to 2017. In addition, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report also profiles 662 companies, including many key and niche players.
Contact: Research and Markets Ltd, Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. Fax: +353 1 481 1716, Web: www.researchandmarkets.com
Conferences and Meetings News Conference focuses on high-performance elastomers
i
Smithers, part of Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd, held its sixth high-performance elastomers conference, with a special focus on oilfield applications, in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, on 17–18 April 2012. High Performance Elastomers and Polymers for Oil & Gas Applications 2012 was targeted at operators, contractors, equipment and component suppliers, material suppliers and research organisations involved with polymers and their use in the oil and gas industry. This was a well attended conference with some useful papers that promoted some lively discussion. The papers that have some direct interest for readers of Sealing Technology, include: UÊ ÝÌÀÕÃÊÀiÃÃÌ>ViÊvÊi>ÃÌiÀÃ\Ê>ÊÃÌÕ`ÞÊ of factors that affect performance – Peter Warren, Andrew Douglas and Stephen Winterbottom, James Walker & Co Ltd, UK; UÊ iÌVÊ>`ÊiV >V>Ê«À«iÀÌiÃÊvÊ swellable polymers under geometrical constraints – Yucun Lou, Agathe Robisson and Sudeep Maheshwari, SchlumbergerDoll Research Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; UÊ "LÃiÀÛ}ÊÀ>«`Ê}>ÃÊ`iV«ÀiÃÃÊ damage: a novel technique – Dr Sabine Munch, MERL Ltd, UK; UÊ >ÃÌiÀÃÊÊ "2 – Daniel Hertz (III), Seals Eastern Inc, USA; UÊ Õ`Ê>}i}Ê>`ÊÀ>«`Ê}>ÃÊ`iV«ÀiÃsion of HNBR elastomers – Dr Victor Nasreddine, Dr Kevin Kulbaba, Dr Andreas Bischoff and Christian Müller, Lanxess Ag, Germany, and Larry Chen, Dr David Gerrard and Jim Goodson, Baker Hughes, USA; UÊ ÜÊÌi«iÀ>ÌÕÀiÊ«iÀvÕÀi>ÃÌiÀÊ development – John Kerwin, Precision Polymer Engineering Ltd, UK; UÊ *iÀvÕÀi>ÃÌiÀÊ«>ÀÌÃÊvÀÊ`i>`}ÊÊ and gas applications – Jean-Luc Matoux, DuPont International Operations SARL, Switzerland;
June 2012
FEATURE UÊ ÝÌÀiiÊÊvi`ÊÃi>Ê>««V>ÌÃÊqÊ ÕVÊ Slay and Steve Streich, Halliburton, USA, and Winston Webber, Halliburton, UK; UÊ 6 ÊÌÕ}ÃÌiÊV>ÀL`iÊV>Ì}ÊiÝÌi`ÃÊ life of elastomeric seals and enables high temperature seal design – Dr Yuri Zhuk, Hardide Plc, UK; UÊ } Ê«iÀvÀ>ViÊ«ÞÕÀiÌ >iÃÊÊÌ iÊÊ & gas industry – Thomas Schwarz, SKF Economos GmbH, Germany; UÊ iÃ}}Ê>`ÊëiVvÞ}Êi>ÃÌiÀÊ materials for plate heat exchanger gaskets in the oil and gas industries – John Cutler, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, UK; UÊ iÃÃÃÊi>ÀÌÊvÀÊv>ÕÀiÊ>>ÞÃiÃÊ>`Ê success stories – Dr Karin Jacobson, Swerea KIMAB Ab, Sweden; and UÊ viÊ«Ài`VÌÊvÊ«ÞiÀÃÊvÀÊÌ iÊÊ and gas industry – Andrew Hulme and Jenny Cooper, Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd, UK. Contact: Alexandra Reeves, Conferences, Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd, Shawbury, Shropshire SY4 4NR, UK. Tel: +44 1939 250383, Fax: +44 1939 1118, Email: [email protected], Web: www.polymerconferences.com, Web: www.ismithers.net
2012 ASME PVP conference takes place in July
R
eaders are reminded that the 2012 ASME Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference takes place on 15–19 July, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to the organiser, the event – which is being run under the theme ‘New Horizons in Global Pressure Vessel and Piping Technology’ – promises to be an outstanding international technical forum for participants. It will help them further their knowledge through exposure to diverse engineering topics, dissemination of cutting-edge technology, and exchange of opinions and ideas both from industry and academia in a variety of topical areas related to pressure vessel and piping (PVP) technologies for the power and process industries. More than 175 paper and panel sessions are planned, as well as workshops, tutorials, forums covering non-destructive examination and the demonstration of software, and a student paper competition and symposium. General topics to be covered during the event include:
UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ
V`iÃÊ>`ÊÃÌ>`>À`ÃÆÊ V«ÕÌiÀÊÌiV }ÞÊ>`ÊLÌi`ÊÌÃÆ `iÃ}Ê>`Ê>>ÞÃÃÆÊ vÕ`ÃÌÀÕVÌÕÀiÊÌiÀ>VÌÆÊ } «ÀiÃÃÕÀiÊÃÞÃÌiÃÊÌiV }ÞÆÊ >ÌiÀ>ÃÊ>`Êv>LÀV>ÌÆÊ «iÀ>ÌÃ]Ê>««V>ÌÃÊ>`ÊV«iÌÃÆ ÃiÃVÊi}iiÀ}ÆÊ>`Ê `iÃÌÀÕVÌÛiÊiÝ>>Ì°
The ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Division is the primary sponsor of this conference. The ASME Nondestructive Examination Division is also participating in this event. The Pressure Vessels and Piping Division of the ASME was organised as an ASME technical division in 1966 in response to the interest of members to the rapidly changing and expanding technology of pressure boundary containment. Contact: Melissa Torres, Meetings Coordinator, ASME International, Three Park Avenue, MS 22E5, New York, NY 10016, USA. Tel: +1 212 591 8257, Fax: +1 212 591 7856, Email: [email protected], Web: www.asmeconferences.org/PVP2012
Patents review – 2011 begins to show a revival of interest Bob Flitney Over the past 12 months we have reviewed close to 300 patents covering, as usual, a wide range of designs and applications. Here, we look back over the year, providing a summary of some of the key points covered in each issue of the newsletter. In the review for 2010 (Sealing Technology June 2012, pages 9–12) I reported the first reduction in patent applications since these reviews commenced in 2003. The number of patents included in the newsletter for 2011 is almost identical to 2010, with 291 being reported. However, this does not directly reflect the flow of patents during the year. During the first half of 2011 the numbers continued to decline, but the second half of
June 2012
the year has seen a considerable upsurge in numbers. This can make it rather difficult to provide a consistent level of coverage, but as always the purpose is to provide some awareness of patent applications with the assumption that any of specific interest will be investigated further. This can be achieved by visiting the World Patents Web-site (www.wipo.int) and then using the button for PCT (patents). The entries mentioned in this review can be
found by searching this Web-site using the six-digit numbers quoted in the text together with the prefix WO/2011/ (or by using the complete number provided at the end of each abstract in our monthly update). I know that many readers are like me and find referring to a drawing is often necessary for the write-up to make any sense. Once again we endeavour to provide as many illustrations as space allows, but have to prioritise either the ones that are particularly interesting, or potentially obscure. I freely admit that a large proportion of the descriptions mean very little to me until I look at the accompanying drawings.
Sealing Technology
7
IN BRIEF Flexitallic boosts production with £400 000 technology investment In the UK, Flexitallic Ltd, which manufactures and supplies static sealing products, has announced that it has invested £400 000 in a new industrial laser cutting machine. The company says that the new Bystronic laser expands to three the number of machines it has at its disposal – increasing production, reducing lead times and broadening the range of laser cutting services. The machine has both oxygen and nitrogen cutting capabilities and offers high-speed precision cutting and minimum heat distortion of the sheet parts, says the firm. Simrit Expands Merkel Xpress rapid prototype seal service to Brazil Simrit recently expanded its Merkel Xpress service to its Brazilian operations to assist customers in need of quickly manufactured customised seals. The Merkel Xpress rapid prototype and production cell was installed at the company’s facility in Diadema, São Paulo, and can produce a variety of seals in a short time frame – usually within 24 hours. The service is supported by a team of sales, engineering, manufacturing and logistics professionals. Christopher Associates distributes Tonsan sealing systems in North America Christopher Associates Inc of Santa Ana, California, USA, recently announced an agreement to provide applications support, and engineering and distribution services for the Tonsan frame sealant dispensing systems in the North American market place. Used by photovoltaic module manufacturers these automatic sealant dispensing systems are recognised as the leading technology in Asia, with more than 65% market share. More information: www.christopherweb.com Shop-floor roundness system is designed for rapid throughput UK-based Taylor Hobson Ltd has designed the Surtronic R-Series roundness system to ensure that higher sampling rates are achieved. This instrument is able to accurately check three parts per minute including set-up time. Although many times faster than traditional bench-top roundness systems, the Surtronic R-series experiences no loss of precision or accuracy, says the firm. Full ISOcompliant measurements can be taken with ±25 nm accuracy and 6 nm gauge resolution. More information: www.taylor-hobson.com
6
Sealing Technology
its dependence on temperature and time. Development of an understanding of the mechanisms of thermal degradation will help chemists to create materials with better thermal stability. This is particularly important in newer developments in engineering and aerospace. This book reviews, in nine chapters, the measurement of these properties in the main types of polymers that are in use today. Numerous techniques are discussed – ranging from thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared technology and methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance to pyrolytic techniques, such as those based on pyrolysis, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Further details on ‘Thermal Stability of Polymers’ (ISBN: 9781847355133), including a table of contents, are available from Smithers Rapra’s Web-site at the address given below. Contact: Smithers Rapra UK, Shawbury, Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4NR, UK. Tel: +44 1939 250383, Web: http://info.smithersrapra.com
Report analyses worldwide markets for gaskets and seals
A
report now available from Research and Markets Ltd of Dublin, Ireland, analyses the worldwide markets for gaskets and seals. Entitled ‘Gaskets and Seals – Global Strategic Business Report’, coverage is broken down into two broad product segments – gaskets (metallic and non-metallic) and seals (mechanical and others). The end-use categories covered include the automotive industry; process, refinery and other general machinery sectors; pulp and paper; and the marine and rail segments. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the markets in the USA, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Latin America. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through to 2017. In addition, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report also profiles 662 companies, including many key and niche players.
Contact: Research and Markets Ltd, Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. Fax: +353 1 481 1716, Web: www.researchandmarkets.com
Conferences and Meetings News Conference focuses on high-performance elastomers
i
Smithers, part of Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd, held its sixth high-performance elastomers conference, with a special focus on oilfield applications, in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, on 17–18 April 2012. High Performance Elastomers and Polymers for Oil & Gas Applications 2012 was targeted at operators, contractors, equipment and component suppliers, material suppliers and research organisations involved with polymers and their use in the oil and gas industry. This was a well attended conference with some useful papers that promoted some lively discussion. The papers that have some direct interest for readers of Sealing Technology, include: UÊ ÝÌÀÕÃÊÀiÃÃÌ>ViÊvÊi>ÃÌiÀÃ\Ê>ÊÃÌÕ`ÞÊ of factors that affect performance – Peter Warren, Andrew Douglas and Stephen Winterbottom, James Walker & Co Ltd, UK; UÊ iÌVÊ>`ÊiV >V>Ê«À«iÀÌiÃÊvÊ swellable polymers under geometrical constraints – Yucun Lou, Agathe Robisson and Sudeep Maheshwari, SchlumbergerDoll Research Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; UÊ "LÃiÀÛ}ÊÀ>«`Ê}>ÃÊ`iV«ÀiÃÃÊ damage: a novel technique – Dr Sabine Munch, MERL Ltd, UK; UÊ >ÃÌiÀÃÊÊ "2 – Daniel Hertz (III), Seals Eastern Inc, USA; UÊ Õ`Ê>}i}Ê>`ÊÀ>«`Ê}>ÃÊ`iV«ÀiÃsion of HNBR elastomers – Dr Victor Nasreddine, Dr Kevin Kulbaba, Dr Andreas Bischoff and Christian Müller, Lanxess Ag, Germany, and Larry Chen, Dr David Gerrard and Jim Goodson, Baker Hughes, USA; UÊ ÜÊÌi«iÀ>ÌÕÀiÊ«iÀvÕÀi>ÃÌiÀÊ development – John Kerwin, Precision Polymer Engineering Ltd, UK; UÊ *iÀvÕÀi>ÃÌiÀÊ«>ÀÌÃÊvÀÊ`i>`}ÊÊ and gas applications – Jean-Luc Matoux, DuPont International Operations SARL, Switzerland;
June 2012
FEATURE UÊ ÝÌÀiiÊÊvi`ÊÃi>Ê>««V>ÌÃÊqÊ ÕVÊ Slay and Steve Streich, Halliburton, USA, and Winston Webber, Halliburton, UK; UÊ 6 ÊÌÕ}ÃÌiÊV>ÀL`iÊV>Ì}ÊiÝÌi`ÃÊ life of elastomeric seals and enables high temperature seal design – Dr Yuri Zhuk, Hardide Plc, UK; UÊ } Ê«iÀvÀ>ViÊ«ÞÕÀiÌ >iÃÊÊÌ iÊÊ & gas industry – Thomas Schwarz, SKF Economos GmbH, Germany; UÊ iÃ}}Ê>`ÊëiVvÞ}Êi>ÃÌiÀÊ materials for plate heat exchanger gaskets in the oil and gas industries – John Cutler, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, UK; UÊ iÃÃÃÊi>ÀÌÊvÀÊv>ÕÀiÊ>>ÞÃiÃÊ>`Ê success stories – Dr Karin Jacobson, Swerea KIMAB Ab, Sweden; and UÊ viÊ«Ài`VÌÊvÊ«ÞiÀÃÊvÀÊÌ iÊÊ and gas industry – Andrew Hulme and Jenny Cooper, Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd, UK. Contact: Alexandra Reeves, Conferences, Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd, Shawbury, Shropshire SY4 4NR, UK. Tel: +44 1939 250383, Fax: +44 1939 1118, Email: [email protected], Web: www.polymerconferences.com, Web: www.ismithers.net
2012 ASME PVP conference takes place in July
R
eaders are reminded that the 2012 ASME Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference takes place on 15–19 July, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to the organiser, the event – which is being run under the theme ‘New Horizons in Global Pressure Vessel and Piping Technology’ – promises to be an outstanding international technical forum for participants. It will help them further their knowledge through exposure to diverse engineering topics, dissemination of cutting-edge technology, and exchange of opinions and ideas both from industry and academia in a variety of topical areas related to pressure vessel and piping (PVP) technologies for the power and process industries. More than 175 paper and panel sessions are planned, as well as workshops, tutorials, forums covering non-destructive examination and the demonstration of software, and a student paper competition and symposium. General topics to be covered during the event include:
UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ UÊ
V`iÃÊ>`ÊÃÌ>`>À`ÃÆÊ V«ÕÌiÀÊÌiV }ÞÊ>`ÊLÌi`ÊÌÃÆ `iÃ}Ê>`Ê>>ÞÃÃÆÊ vÕ`ÃÌÀÕVÌÕÀiÊÌiÀ>VÌÆÊ } «ÀiÃÃÕÀiÊÃÞÃÌiÃÊÌiV }ÞÆÊ >ÌiÀ>ÃÊ>`Êv>LÀV>ÌÆÊ «iÀ>ÌÃ]Ê>««V>ÌÃÊ>`ÊV«iÌÃÆ ÃiÃVÊi}iiÀ}ÆÊ>`Ê `iÃÌÀÕVÌÛiÊiÝ>>Ì°
The ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Division is the primary sponsor of this conference. The ASME Nondestructive Examination Division is also participating in this event. The Pressure Vessels and Piping Division of the ASME was organised as an ASME technical division in 1966 in response to the interest of members to the rapidly changing and expanding technology of pressure boundary containment. Contact: Melissa Torres, Meetings Coordinator, ASME International, Three Park Avenue, MS 22E5, New York, NY 10016, USA. Tel: +1 212 591 8257, Fax: +1 212 591 7856, Email: [email protected], Web: www.asmeconferences.org/PVP2012
Patents review – 2011 begins to show a revival of interest Bob Flitney Over the past 12 months we have reviewed close to 300 patents covering, as usual, a wide range of designs and applications. Here, we look back over the year, providing a summary of some of the key points covered in each issue of the newsletter. In the review for 2010 (Sealing Technology June 2012, pages 9–12) I reported the first reduction in patent applications since these reviews commenced in 2003. The number of patents included in the newsletter for 2011 is almost identical to 2010, with 291 being reported. However, this does not directly reflect the flow of patents during the year. During the first half of 2011 the numbers continued to decline, but the second half of
June 2012
the year has seen a considerable upsurge in numbers. This can make it rather difficult to provide a consistent level of coverage, but as always the purpose is to provide some awareness of patent applications with the assumption that any of specific interest will be investigated further. This can be achieved by visiting the World Patents Web-site (www.wipo.int) and then using the button for PCT (patents). The entries mentioned in this review can be
found by searching this Web-site using the six-digit numbers quoted in the text together with the prefix WO/2011/ (or by using the complete number provided at the end of each abstract in our monthly update). I know that many readers are like me and find referring to a drawing is often necessary for the write-up to make any sense. Once again we endeavour to provide as many illustrations as space allows, but have to prioritise either the ones that are particularly interesting, or potentially obscure. I freely admit that a large proportion of the descriptions mean very little to me until I look at the accompanying drawings.
Sealing Technology
7