Industrial seals do a lot of the preventive work inside machines and some preventive work outside of these same machines as well. There are four main types of industrial seals: hydraulic, fluid handling, machined, and power transmission. All of these seals can also have subtypes and are made of a vast array of materials—for example, aluminum or bronze seals. If you need to purchase seals for the machines in your factory, this information should help clear up some of the confusion about the four types and what they are made of. 

Hydraulic Seals

Hydraulic seals are used when hydraulic pressure needs to remain constant. The smallest leak of air causes the hydraulic pistons and compressors to lose their effectiveness and/or power. They are also used in fluid injector machines where water pressure, air pressure and/or another type of fluid is necessary for the functions of the machines in which these components reside. Usually, hydraulic seals are made of steel, aluminum, titanium or bronze depending on their individual use, although aluminum seals are cheapest and easiest to replace and therefore the most common.

Fluid Handling Seals

Fluid handling seals are very similar to gaskets in that they help control the amount of fluid passing from one machine component to the next. However, fluid handling seals differ in that they allow movement of fluid from one part to the next, whereas gaskets prevent any such type of fluid movement and seal off the fluid altogether. Fluid handling seals are made of plastic and metal materials which can withstand a number of corrosive, thick, sticky or slick fluids without deteriorating. 

Machined Seals

Machined seals are manufactured for many purposes. The seals are machined, or extruded and constructed by machines, regardless of their complexity and/or purpose. Ergo, this type of seal is well-known for its flexibility to become whatever the customer wants or needs it to be, and customized orders of machined seals with unusual shapes and fits are quite common. These can be made of virtually any material, from bronze seals to aluminum and rubber seals to plastic ones.

Power Transmission Seals

Power transmission seals transmit and control power from one component to another. Because they are manufactured for use on turbines and other high velocity spinning machines, they withstand an excessive amount of heat and friction. This is why you will see that a majority of power transmission seals have wear sleeves or are encased in a metal cassette to protect them. They are often constructed from steel or titanium due to the nature of their job and the need to last longer than most other types of industrial seals.

For more information, contact companies like Phoenix Specialty.