Self-retaining sealing

The Engineered Materials Group of Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, presents Roll2Seal, an all-new sealing solution for easy and safe sealing of bores in non-pressurised applications.

The design enables an easy and accurate assembly process in which the seal rolls into its seat undamaged and without a lead-in chamfer.

Whenever components have been provided with bores for subsequent installation of additional assemblies and such bores require reliable permanent or temporary sealing – for instance during shipping or for test runs – design engineers are frequently faced with a problem – the bore is to be closed with a cover but the surrounding space is too small for a classic flange seal.

If a lead-in chamfer of 15 to 20° is lacking radial sealing is doomed to fail because the seal would not survive installation undamaged even with a chamfered or rounded edge of the bore. Part of the seal would inevitably be sheared off.

Rolling instead of slipping

According to the ‘rolling instead of slipping’ principle, Parker Prädifa has now solved this problem in a clever way. The novel static Roll2Seal featuring an innovative geometry requires no lead-in chamfer, no deburring, is self-retaining, and delivers both temporary and permanent protection against dirt and wetness.

Roll. Fix. Seal. Once or repeatedly as needed

Both one-time and multiple installation and de-installation are very easy and, due to the seal’s immunity against unbroken edges of the bore, can be accomplished without damaging the seal. 

Instead of destructively squeezing the seal at the edge it is simply made to roll across the critical area, which keeps the seal intact. This is possible due to the seal’s innovative triangular geometry in interaction with the special contour of the seal’s seat on the cover which, due to the reversal of the press-in force curve, is pulled into the hole toward the end of the assembly process until it audibly clicks in. 

The geometry can be adapted to the respective hole diameters using Finite Elements Simulation.

The space- and cost-saving Roll2Seal is produced from suitable materials according to the thermal and mechanical requirements. The sealing system consists of a metal or plastic cover and the seal. It is available in pre-assembled condition if desired.