Liquid foam gasket seal on 3D plastic components with zero failure rate
19 May 2017
If your product needs an air or water tight seal, insulation to prevent vibration or contain acoustic noise - this technology will transform the way you think about doing it.
A robotic liquid foaming process bonds the seal directly to the plastic component
Tex Plastics investment in a 6 axis robot has transformed the engineering processes and revolutionised plastic component design thinking. The robot displaces liquid foam to a pre-programmed track or profile which rapidly cures to form a closed cell gasket. It speeds up the sealing process as it can be robotically applied as an expanding foam to any 3D plastic component. This makes it reliable and the rapid cross-linking curing delivers a 100% reliable soft foamed gasket seal bonded directly to the plastic component.
The tightest tolerances of seal can be achieved through dynamic programming
The foam sealing system mechanically converts the sealant by taking measured quantities of material and compressed air. The mixture is homogenised and through sheer force it is converted to a uniform foam structure upon application to the plastic component. The system can vary the ratio of material to air and subsequently allow a wide range of foam softness to be created.
Advantages of gasket foam in comparison to the thermoplastic elastomers
The gasket foam has very good elasticity up to – 40°C as well as the very low compressive deformation behaviour up to +80°C. Also the ‘compressibility’ of the gasket and the good adhesion to the component in comparison to the traditional TPE gasket. The thermosetting polyurethane foam is cross-linking tridimensionally and is therefore inherently stable whereas the thermoplastic elastomers have got a tendency to creep at high temperatures.