- Email: [email protected]
Machine automates sealing of car shock absorbers
sealing
TECHNOLOG TECH NOLOGY Y
ISSN 1350-4789 July 2008
www.sealingtechnology.info
Machine automates sealing of car shock absorbers
A
n alternative to the traditional method of sealing the pistons of car shock absorbers has been developed by Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. A special assembly machine has been developed by the company to pull a flat disc of PTFE based material over the piston. Traditionally a band of PTFE based sealing material was wrapped around the piston manually. This method is time consuming and it is difficult to achieve a high volume production. “The manufacturers of shock absorbers really liked the new concept from Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, which gave a banding of consistent quality in high volumes,” says Michael Andersen, General Manager of the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions manufacturing unit in Helsingør, Denmark. “The automated assembly machine technology was ours and the first thought was that we should do the assembly of the bands onto the pistons at our production facility. That though did not make sense from a manufacturing flow point of view. The most efficient point to do this was at the piston manufacturer, after they were sintered. So we proposed we specify
and commission the assembly machines, then sell them to the piston manufacturer for use in their production line.” A significant installed base of piston banding machines is now supplying banded pistons to major shock absorber manufacturers and demand continues to rise with more assembly machines commissioned during 2007 than ever before. Assembly machines are currently being supplied to China and rather than ship discs all the way there, the technology for disc production has been transferred to the company facility in Shanghai. In the automated process for banding shock absorber pistons a precisely machined thin disc of Turcon PTFE material is pulled over the piston in an assembly machine. It is engineered to incorporate a lip, to improve friction characteristics. Contact: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Global Marketing & Communications, Handwerkstrasse 5–7, D-70565 Stuttgart, Germany, Tel: +49 711 7864 0, Fax: +49 711 7864344, Email: [email protected], Web: www.tss.trelleborg.com.
Cabin air quality to be tested
A
new research project is being funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) to look at so-called fume events on flights. Cranfield University, who carried out the investigation reported in March Sealing Technology, are to carry out tests on five different types of aircraft from five different, undisclosed, airlines. The equipment will measure the constituents of the cabin air. Last year there were 116 contaminated air events reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) mandatory reporting scheme (MORS). This was out of a total of 1.3 million passenger and cargo flights. However, the Committee on Toxicity believes one in two thousand flights could be exposing crew and passengers to toxins in
cabin air. Speaking at the university, Aviation Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “We are filling a gap in worldwide knowledge because there are no published studies of air sampling during fume events anywhere. The science is difficult because fume events are unpredictable and can last less than a minute. The only way we can resolve this matter is through top quality science. Poor science never ends a debate and would not influence aviation regulators around the world to take action.” Pilots occasionally report bursts of contaminated air or bad smells, particularly on Boeing 757, Airbus 319 and BAe 146 aircraft. Contact: Web: www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/hci/ahwg/
The seal is fitted to these shock absorber pistons by an automatic banding process developed by the seal supplier.
Contents News
1–6, 16
In Brief
3
Company News
4–6
Features A new multi layer graphite gasket for improved performance
7
Sealing in the automotive industry with liquid fluoro-silicone elastomers
Patents Events Calendar
10
14–15 16
ISSN 1350-4789/08 © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.
TECHNOLOG TECH NOLOGY Y
ISSN 1350-4789 July 2008
www.sealingtechnology.info
Machine automates sealing of car shock absorbers
A
n alternative to the traditional method of sealing the pistons of car shock absorbers has been developed by Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. A special assembly machine has been developed by the company to pull a flat disc of PTFE based material over the piston. Traditionally a band of PTFE based sealing material was wrapped around the piston manually. This method is time consuming and it is difficult to achieve a high volume production. “The manufacturers of shock absorbers really liked the new concept from Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, which gave a banding of consistent quality in high volumes,” says Michael Andersen, General Manager of the Trelleborg Sealing Solutions manufacturing unit in Helsingør, Denmark. “The automated assembly machine technology was ours and the first thought was that we should do the assembly of the bands onto the pistons at our production facility. That though did not make sense from a manufacturing flow point of view. The most efficient point to do this was at the piston manufacturer, after they were sintered. So we proposed we specify
and commission the assembly machines, then sell them to the piston manufacturer for use in their production line.” A significant installed base of piston banding machines is now supplying banded pistons to major shock absorber manufacturers and demand continues to rise with more assembly machines commissioned during 2007 than ever before. Assembly machines are currently being supplied to China and rather than ship discs all the way there, the technology for disc production has been transferred to the company facility in Shanghai. In the automated process for banding shock absorber pistons a precisely machined thin disc of Turcon PTFE material is pulled over the piston in an assembly machine. It is engineered to incorporate a lip, to improve friction characteristics. Contact: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, Global Marketing & Communications, Handwerkstrasse 5–7, D-70565 Stuttgart, Germany, Tel: +49 711 7864 0, Fax: +49 711 7864344, Email: [email protected], Web: www.tss.trelleborg.com.
Cabin air quality to be tested
A
new research project is being funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) to look at so-called fume events on flights. Cranfield University, who carried out the investigation reported in March Sealing Technology, are to carry out tests on five different types of aircraft from five different, undisclosed, airlines. The equipment will measure the constituents of the cabin air. Last year there were 116 contaminated air events reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) mandatory reporting scheme (MORS). This was out of a total of 1.3 million passenger and cargo flights. However, the Committee on Toxicity believes one in two thousand flights could be exposing crew and passengers to toxins in
cabin air. Speaking at the university, Aviation Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “We are filling a gap in worldwide knowledge because there are no published studies of air sampling during fume events anywhere. The science is difficult because fume events are unpredictable and can last less than a minute. The only way we can resolve this matter is through top quality science. Poor science never ends a debate and would not influence aviation regulators around the world to take action.” Pilots occasionally report bursts of contaminated air or bad smells, particularly on Boeing 757, Airbus 319 and BAe 146 aircraft. Contact: Web: www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/hci/ahwg/
The seal is fitted to these shock absorber pistons by an automatic banding process developed by the seal supplier.
Contents News
1–6, 16
In Brief
3
Company News
4–6
Features A new multi layer graphite gasket for improved performance
7
Sealing in the automotive industry with liquid fluoro-silicone elastomers
Patents Events Calendar
10
14–15 16
ISSN 1350-4789/08 © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.