I.B. Moore continues to lead the industry with Centerless Grinding Technology

I.B. Moore continues to lead the industry with Centerless Grinding Technology

If you mention o-rings to someone, most likely they think of a small, round rubber ring about an inch in diameter.  While that fits the description, o-rings come in many more sizes than that and even the name makes you think of a circle.  O-rings can be as big as a manhole cover or even a hula hoop (for those who remember them) and can be fitted around many shapes that are definitely not circular.

Seals fabricated from runs of 20 feet long (or more) are not uncommon and even the term “ring” leads to mistaken assumptions.  Seals can be made of cord stock that are not a continuous loop (so we can’t call them rings) but still carry out the same function – creating a seal between two surfaces.

Small, mass produced o-rings as we first as we described are used in many applications and certainly have their place in sealing technology but there are also more demanding applications where a simple circle of rubber won’t do.   When a length of cord stock is made into a continuous loop by vulcanizing the ends together it also fits the bill as an o-ring. 

When you need a seal with a non-standard cross-section, a tight tolerance or have a critical seal application, IB Moore can meet these needs with Centerless Ground Cord Seals or spliced O-rings. Since the 1970’s IB Moore has offered the unique combination of centerless grinding and vulcanizing to make both cord stock and o-rings that are custom, non-standard lengths and custom, non-standard cross sections in long lengths and tight tolerances for diameter. 

 

For cord stock, cross-sectional tolerance of  +/-.002 can be achieved which are 

  • ultra-smooth, 
  • defect free surfaces
  • flash-free, 
  • uniformly smooth defect free 
  • dimensionally stable throughout the ring circumference 
  •  

In addition, O-rings made from centerless ground cord stock by making a vulcanized join are smooth and mismatch free at the join.  

 

For both cord stock and O-rings, cross sections of .070” to 0.675” in increments of .002″ are available with no tooling or minimum run charges. This allows for rapid order fulfillment for replacement parts that are not readily available off the shelf such as replacements for metric seals and o-rings or other non standard seal types.

 

IB Moore offers centerless grinding of O-ring cord when tighter tolerances are required than are standard in the industry. For example, the standard tolerance for 0.275 inch cross-section O-ring cord is +/-0.020”.  We can grind to +/-.004” diameter in lengths of up to 20 feet or more. The centerless grinding process allows us to provide diameters in a wide range of sizes to suit your specific application that are consistently accurate to a tight tolerance over the entire length of the cord run.

 

If you have a demanding seal application that off the shelf o-rings don’t work for, contact us at https://ibmoore.com/request-quote/ with your application requirements and a description of where the problem lies and our dedicated team of sealing experts will be happy to discuss it with you and propose solutions.

 

Phone: (859) 255-5501

info@ibmoore.com