OZ SEALS has explained the difference between good and bad seals.
While seals may appear to cost a lot, this should be counted as a fraction of the cost of the equipment that they protect.
Often, the difference between an average quality seal and a good one is just a few dollars
Average quality seals are usually made with average quality raw materials. While polyurethane is often considered a premium raw material, it is not always so.
Oz Seals says to maintain quality, it only uses high quality virgin PU raw material. All Oz Seals PU materials are polyether-based.
In comparison, conventional thermoplastic polyurethanes are injection moulded and can use up to 60% recycled materials.
These seals will soften rapidly as temperature increases, which leads to extrusion and nibbling failure patterns in the stock. Injection moulding also tends to create voids inside the seal, which can cause the sudden failure.
Polyether-based materials have higher hydrolysis resistance and better flexibility at lower temperatures than polyester-based polymers.
Designated as super polymers, Oz Seals seal stock are thermoset and spin cast, using the company’s proprietary Poly4 four-component processing plant. The manufacturing takes place in a controlled atmosphere environment, with inert gases to prevent contamination.
The plant is also highly accurate and able to safely handle difficult pre-polymers and curatives than other processing plants.