16, rue Albert Evaux 63119 CHATEAUGAY – France

Find out more about our manufacturing procedures and equality control for FFKM ULTIMA O-rings.

Material optimization and quality control

At ULTIMA, measurements of the compounder material are essential to assess its suitability for processing in our presses, particularly its fluidity in the injection mold. These tests guarantee optimal processing and perfect repeatability of production cycles. They also enable us to ensure the final mechanical properties of our materials, such as tensile strength and compression set.

Rheological testing
Viscosity testing

All our materials are tested to offer you the best possible quality for your industrial applications.

Rheometers are used to determine the vulcanization characteristics of elastomers in accordance with international ASTM or ISO standards. Machine: MDR-C Rheometer by Alpha technologies company

Mooney viscometers can be used to carry out standard viscosity tests and to check the vulcanization stages and certain stress properties of elastomers. Machine: MV Mooney Viscosimeter by Alpha technologies company

ULTIMA O-ring molding techniques

The material is transferred from the refrigerated raw materials store to the molding shop.
It is then heated to make it fluid, and injected at high pressure into the mold, which has been set to a predefined temperature by means of precise and imperative preheating.
The material fills the cavities of the mold. The mold is kept closed to allow the mixture to polymerize (polymerization or vulcanization is a thermal reaction in which relatively small molecules called monomers combine and chemically bond to produce polymers).

This molding method minimizes material losses.
The most important element controlled by the operator is the injection temperature in the mold, to ensure reliable, consistent molding throughout production.

Advantages of the BOY 50 E :
Precision
Efficiency
Optimum production condition

Une personne utilise l'application Wellness Connect de façon autonome et réalise des mouvements
Illustration d'un homme consultant des écrans affichant des données de santé
Illustration d'un homme consultant des écrans affichant des données de santé

Burr removal process in O-ring molding

When molding, it’s necessary to use more rubber than the volume of the part. These residues constitute what’s known as burrs and flash. In the case of O-rings, the excess material is located at the parting line (mold closing line). This operation begins at the end of molding the entire production run and comprises three phases: deburring, grinding and cleaning.

DEFLASHING

During the manufacture of rubber products, an excess of material, known as “flash”, forms inside the mold. The rubber flash consists of a film projected along the parting line and an additional thickness of material. This flash must be effectively eliminated if the product is to be aesthetically acceptable and “fit for purpose”.

Advantages of cryogenic deburring : 
Total tolerance retention (100%)
Total surface quality retention (100%)
Total retention of material characteristics (100%)
No distortion (100%)

GRINDING

This mechanical finishing process smoothes the surface of the O-rings. Our research has revealed optimal combinations of machine settings, ceramic abrasive backing and Ultima FFKM hardness. This step is crucial to achieving a uniform visual finish and guaranteeing 100% homogeneity between different production batches.

Grinding benefits :
Extremely smooth finish
Process reproducibility

WASHING

This cleaning is carried out by a system that washes, cleans and dries the seals. This operation takes place at the end of the grinding process and is imperative.

Cleaning benefits :
Process reproducibility
High cleaning efficiency

 

We make it a point of honour to provide you with the highest quality end product FFKM ULTIMA

 

VISUAL CHECK

This quick operation allows you to quickly check the appearance of the joints at the end of the finishing phase. It’s a simple step, but once again imperative.
Machine: Non contact visual system SWIFT PRO CAM of Vision engeeniring Ltd

 

INTERNAL DIAMETER AND CROSS-SECTION

Inspection enables 100% of Ultima FFKM O-ring production to be checked for two important parameters – internal diameter and core diameter – at the same time. It’s a fast and extremely precise inspection.
This modern machine enables automatic non-contact visual inspection of components of all shapes, with a maximum field of view of Ø 500 mm, ideal for rubber seals. It uses a high-resolution CCD camera and a bi-telecentric lens to obtain precise dimensional data from digital images. Inspection can be carried out on a single unit or on several parts simultaneously, according to our rule (Batch > 20 pcs = 20 inspected parts + 2%), with the option of switching to 100% inspection at extra cost.

Kalix benefits 500 :
Measurement of median, maximum and minimum inside and outside diameters
Measurement of mean, maximum and minimum radial cross-section
Measurement of roundness
Measurement of cross-section oscillation

HARDNESS CONTROL

The hardness of an O-ring is crucial, as a softer elastomer adapts better to the surfaces to be sealed, requiring less pressure to create a seal. However, measuring hardness reliably on seals with curved surfaces and variable cross-sections, such as O-rings, is a recognized challenge in the industry. To overcome this, our inspection department uses an automatic laser-guided inspection machine, offering high accuracy and avoiding this common problem in O-ring molding. Machine : Automatic ectronic durometer BAROTATION of BAREISS PRÜFGERÄTEBAU GMBH

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Une personne utilise l'application Wellness Connect de façon autonome et réalise des mouvements

Would you like an online quote?

We’ll get back to you within 48 hours, and we also have a large stock of O-rings available for sale within 1 week.