Advanced Air Mobility Solutions - Composite Sealing Systems Division | Parker US
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Trust Parker to navigate the sky of innovation with you.

With over six decades of proven expertise in crafting customized sealing solutions for aerospace firms, Parker is a trusted partner for advanced aircraft mobility and eVTOL components. Our extensive technology, engineering experience, and manufacturing acumen enable us to develop and certify reliable bonded sealing solutions vital for mission-critical components. We are committed to propelling eVTOL towards exceptional flight performance and reliability, fostering breakthroughs in this future-of-flight technology. 

Bonded Gasket Technology

How Does It Work?

Parker's bonded Integral Seal™ design technology not only helps design engineers overcome sealing challenges commonly encountered with singular elastomer seals used in component assemblies, it provides significant improvements for automated assembly.  

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On-demand Webinar

Bonded Sealing Technology for Advanced Air Mobility (eVTOL) Components

Looking for ways to enhance your eVTOL projects? View the on-demand webinar to learn from Parker's sealing experts about solutions that ensure robust and efficient performance of critical components.

On-demand webinar regarding bonded sealing for eVTOL applications

FAQs: Bonded Sealing Technology for Advanced Air Mobility (eVTOL) Components

Q:  What is bonded sealing technology?

A:  Bonded sealing technology involves integrating an elastomer seal with a rigid carrier or plate, creating a seal that is bonded to the component, providing excellent sealing performance, especially for static applications.

Q:  Why would eVTOL vehicles require specific sealing solutions?

A:  eVTOL vehicles need specific sealing solutions due to their electric motors, thermal management needs, and the potential for variable weather conditions. These seals need to be robust, leakage-proof, able to withstand harsh media and temperature, and endure performance and maintenance conditions.

Q:  What are some of the static face sealing options available?

A:  Common static face sealing options include flat gaskets, caulks, cements, RTVs, and O-rings. However, for persistent issues like leakage or challenging installations, Parker's bonded sealing technology provides an effective solution.

Q:  What are Integral Seals and Gask-O-Seals?

A: These terms are Parker branded trade names for custom engineered bonded plate seals featuring an elastomer seal that is bonded and vulcanized to a rigid carrier. Their rigid design makes them ideal for high volume applications and multiple sealing locations.  Ultimate Guide to Bonded Sealing Plates | High-Quality Custom Solutions .

Q:  How do Mark I and Mark VII Gask-O-Seal cross sections differ?

A:  The Mark I is the more common of the two standard types. It's typically the the first choice for general sealing applications that do not see extreme pressure. One advantage to this seal cross-section style is the bi-directional sealing capability, meaning that both internal or external pressures can be managed using a symmetrical profile.  The Mark VII Gask-O-Seal profile provides uni-directional sealing only.  It is mainly used for high pressure applications, typically above 500 PSI, and in some scenarios, this cross section is capable of withstanding 20,000 PSI..

Q:  What are the advantages of using Integral Seals or Gask-O-Seal?

A:  The benefits include controlled compression, negligible torque loss, ease of assembly, and special design features. They also allow for longer preventative maintenance schedules, minimize leakage issues, and help to reduce the total cost of operation.

Q:  What temperature ranges and chemistry compatibilities can Parker's seals handle?

A:  Parker offers a wide range of elastomeric materials, suitable for temperatures from negative 200 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit and able to handle various chemistries, from nonpolar oils and fluids to harsh polar solvents.

Q:  What design tools does Parker utilize for optimal seal design?

A: Parker utilizes a variety of standard and specialized software packages like Catia, NX, Inventor, and SolidWorks. For design simulation, they use FEA software to predict and optimize seal designs. We also utilize Topaq scans and Fuji impressions for validation..

Q:  What kind of applications can benefit from Parker's bonded sealing technology?

A: Applications with persistent challenges including leaking joints, difficult or time-consuming installation of sealing elements, or those that cannot afford leak failure can greatly benefit from Parker's bonded sealing technology.

Q:  How does Parker's seal technology reduce the total cost of operation?

A: Parker's seals minimize leakage issues during operations and allow for longer preventative maintenance schedules, resulting in overall cost savings.

Q:  Are the seals suitable for high pressure applications?

A: Yes, the Mark VII Gask-O-Seal profile is mainly used for high pressure applications, capable of withstanding pressure up to 20,000 PSI..

Q:  What kind of applications can benefit from Parker's bonded sealing technology?

A: Applications with persistent challenges including leaking joints, difficult or time-consuming installation of sealing elements, or those that cannot afford leak failure can greatly benefit from Parker's bonded sealing technology.

Q:  Can multiple elastomers be bonded to the same carrier at different sealing locations?

A: Yes, Integral Seals and Gask-O-Seals can be configured with multiple elastomers bonded to the same carrier, allowing for multiple port sealing to accommodate different fluid compatibility.

Q:  What makes the installation of Parker's CSS engineered gaskets reliable?

A: Because they are highly customizable, we are able to incorporate special design elements that assist with alignment during assembly, ensuring proper installation every time. Visual inspection features can also be provided to confirm proper installation without having to disassemble the part.

Q:  Can bonded plate seals be used for sealing multiple ports?

A: Yes, Parker Gask-O-Seals and Integral Seals are capable of sealing multiple ports on a single interface, offering a cost-effective and space-efficient solution.

Q:  What materials are the carriers typically made from?

A: The carriers can be made from a variety of rigid materials, such as metal or plastic, depending on the application's requirements. These include steel, aluminum, other metals, and injection molded thermoplastics.

Q:  What methods of manufacture are possible for the rigid carriers?

A: Depending on the development or production stage of the product, they may be laser cut, stamped, machined, and if feasible, 3D printed or manufactured from sintered metal.

Q:  Do bonded gaskets provide any weight savings?

A: This is only true in some lower-pressure cases where we can use a low-closure-force seal profile in place of a bulky o-ring.

Q:  What is meant by controlled compression in the context of bonded seals?

A: Controlled compression: since we can control the seal height and seal groove depth (in the case of Gask-O-Seal) and the retainer thickness (in the case of Integral Seal), we can achieve controlled compression of the sealing element.  This allows us to manage the optimal stress the elastomer will have to withstand within the application, resulting in better sealing capability and a longer lasting seal.

Q:  What's an alternate load path and how does it enable cost savings?

A: An advantage using bonded sealing technology to vulcanize the elastomeric seal to the carrier plate, or directly onto the component, is there is no torque loss over time.  With direct contact between the seal carrier and mating hardware, we have an alternate metal-to-metal load path, resulting in negligible torque loss over time to the clamping load. This benefit allows the customer to spread out maintenance schedules over a longer period of time, leading to overall product management cost savings.

Q:  Do Parker bonded sealing products for eVTOL lend themselves well (or can they be made) to be installed with robotics?

A: Yes.  Due to the rigid nature of the retainer, which is a component of our composite gasket, automation can absolutely be incorporated to pick and place the gasket onto the mating hardware interface consistently and accurately.

Q:  What is the thinnest retainer that can be used in an application and does thinner equate to less performance or sealing capability?

A: For Gask-O-Seal, we go as thin as .060”, and for Integral Seal, we’ve used retainers as thin as .030”.  The thinner the retainer is, the shorter the seal bead height will need to be in order to maintain an acceptable stress level within the elastomer body, which is important for seal life.

Q:   Can Parker adapt bonded sealing technology to an application that currently uses an O-ring to seal in product that has already been SOLD and in the field, meaning that hardware cannot change, (cannot remove machined groove), but would like to replace the seals at time of service or repairs?

A: Yes, absolutely. Parker has designed many retrofittable gaskets in the past to replace o-rings. These gaskets offer additional benefits such as shorter installation time and more sealing consistency due to no roll/twist behavior or stretch/compress behavior in o-rings.

Q:  Is it possible to customize seals so that on a manufacturing floor, customers can utilize systems to confirm or automatically detect that the seal was installed and not accidently omitted?

A: Yes. Retainer edges can be painted to serve as a visual aid for seal installation confirmation.  In some cases, we can provide extended retainer or elastomer tabs for the same purpose.  Moreover, data matrix barcode or seal information can also be populated on these tabs for easy visual access (for part accuracy confirmation or reordering purposes)..

Q:  Are these bonded sealing products available with conductive paths for electro-magnetic (EM) shielding?

A: Parker has a variety of excellent conductive elastomer choices to employ in order to achieve an EMI-shielding conductive path between the two mating hardware components through the Parker gasket.  Moreover, we can also add chemical conversion coating to enhance the conductivity through the gasket.

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