Among the 10 best man-made materials the following can be found in our day to day sealing solutions.
KEVLAR
Created by DuPont chemist Stepanie Kwolek in 1965 after she realized that paraphenylene terephthalamide and polybenzamide formed a nearly unbreakable fiber. It’s used as a soldier’s go-to protection from bullets and explosive fragments. It’s also flame-resistant, five times stronger than steel and surpriseingly lightweight. Often found in: protective sportswear. In the seal industry: JM Clipper’s oil seals outer case is made out of Kevlar.
GORE-TEX
In 1969, Bob Gore took PTFE (aka Teflon) and rapidly stretched it to make expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (Eptfe). This became Gore-Tex, a material membrane that reached the market in 1976. It contains more than 9 billion microscopic pores per square inch, each pore approximately 20 000 times smaller than a drop of water but 700 times bigger than a molecule of moisture vapor. Translation: Rain can’t get in and sweat can get out. Ofter found in: outerwear. In the seal industry: we offer a wide range of Gore-Tex products: gasket sheets, custom cut gaskets, joint sealant…
NYLON
Conceived in the 1930s as an affordable synthetic to replace women’s sil stockings, the nylon polymer was created at DuPont by combining hexamethylenediamine and adipic, acid, then spinning the strands formed into plastic thread. Often found in: Everything. In the seal industry: most common material for guide rings but in use for many other kind of parts.