gasket profile tester

This is our Gasket Testing machine in operation. We can test four different profiles at a time. In this run, two different 449's made with different PVC compounds are mounted at one end and two 516's are mounted on the other. The machine can be easily modified to accept any profile we have in production.

Test profiles are sprayed with frying oil, run for a day (34,000 cycles) then cleaned with soap and water, then we repeat the process for another day. The test profiles are then sprayed with a sugared soft drink to make them sticky and left to run until the profile fails. To pass the test, a profile must run for at least 200,000 cycles.

While there is no temperature differentiation between inside or outside the profile as would be in the real world, It is known that most gaskets fail on the outside, room temperature side of the bellows. Also, please note the magnet opposite the test sample. This stretches the bellows much farther than normal thus accelerating the test.
The testing machine has been a valuable tool in our quality control efforts to bring the best profiles to market.
This machine is now in use right at the manufacturing facility. I am now building a new one which will test more than four samples at a time. We also have a "door slammer" which opens and slams the door on an actual refrigerator. It works great but the only problem is that the darn thing makes so much noise (you can hear it from outside) I can't run it during the day. (Roxy hates it) I can't run it at night (out of respect for the neighbors.) I'll post it in operation sometime.
My only option is to develop a quieter version!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• P1000816

[aircamflyer]

Profiles are sprayed with a variety of cleaning chemicals, soap and soft drinks to simulate the sticky conditions in a bar environment.

[aircamflyer]

Gasket profiles are tested to destruction. A test usually runs about 600,000 cycles. Every new profile and every new compound is tested on this machine. A new one is being developed to test multiple profiles running at twice this speed.