System Seals Helps Injection Molding OEM Rebound

One of the largest manufacturers of injection molding equipment in the world suffered reputation challenges when its leading machines began failing from seal deficiencies. Under extreme pressure, the large-diameter seals began splitting in two, and while the company traveled worldwide to support their customers, a long-term solution was needed quickly.

The company immediately issued a request for proposal to the industry’s top seal producers to study and resolve the problem. After an exhaustive search, System Seals emerged as the only firm to uncover the precise design flaws and propose a solution that would not only repair the downed equipment, but restore the company’s struggling reputation.

Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), System Seals discovered that the damaged seals were designed with sharp corners, which can initiate cracking under rapid pressure variations. More importantly, the sharp corners were precariously close to a deep U-channel, which became a formula for failure

System Seals then designed a crack-proof replacement seal with rounded corners. The new seals were also analyzed through finite element analysis and tested extensively in System Seals’ in-house research and development facility. Test results revealed that the new fail-safe seals could easily withstand rapidly changing conditions under 24/7 production.

The new design worked well, but the company insisted that the new seals survive their equipment warranty of three years. It was an unusual move to warranty seals for so long, but the company knew that it needed to go above and beyond in order to restore confidence in their products. To this day, the seals have long outlived their warranty period and are still running strong nearly a decade after installation.

The OEM and the previous seal supplier have long settled their legal dispute over the matter, and System Seals has remained the company’s go-to supplier for new OEM sealing systems. It was a chapter that redefined sealing technology throughout the injection molding industry and helped the company reestablish itself as the market leader.