Anyone who’s seen The Office knows paper companies deal with their share of challenges. But if Dwight Schrute visited a paper manufacturing plant, he’d find the team inside has to adapt and innovate to achieve perfect end products as efficiently as possible. Helping them get there are industrial rotary shaft seals.
Rotary shaft seals play an important role in paper manufacturing, safeguarding processing equipment against leaks and contamination. Without the right seals, these machines are subject to expensive, time-consuming breakdowns that can mean the difference between profitability and sinking into the red. Some examples include:
• Side-entry agitators
• Pulpers
• Chip washers
• Rotary air locks
• Wash press augers
Enhancing Pulp Processing
At the heart of paper manufacturing is the pulp processing stage, where raw materials are refined and transformed into the building blocks of paper. This process involves harsh corrosive substances like lime, ash, and liquor sludge. By withstanding the corrosive nature of these materials, rotary shaft seals play a pivotal role. Ensuring tight seals on machines like pulpers and refiners means improved efficiency and product quality with minimal downtime for repairs, plus an extended equipment lifespan.
Three prominent seal problems solved by CinchSeal:
• Leakage & contamination: Common at the interface between the shaft and seal. By increasing the size of this interface and using polished stainless steel-plated PTFE rotor cups, rotary shaft seals keep product in and contaminants out.
• O-ring failure: By using purging to create an air barrier, material is prevented from entering the seal without the use of O-rings. This also serves to cool the rotating seal faces, reducing heat from friction and extending seal life.
• Shaft damage caused by friction: Using an elastomer that spins with the shaft, friction is reduced and seal service life maximized.
More reasons to opt for CinchSeal
CinchSeal rotary shaft seals are available in both solid and split models. The split model is particularly suited to challenging environments that might require more frequent maintenance and change-out. Both CinchSeal versions will extend service life and reduce maintenance. However, the split design allows for much easier and faster maintenance and replacement.
The extended life and easier maintenance and replacement that CinchSeal rotary seals bring to difficult production environments explains, at least in part, why they are preferable to other seal alternatives. The relatively low expense associated with these alternatives—lip seals, for example—might be tempting initially, but the luster of low cost rapidly loses its appeal on the job.
Compared to CinchSeal seals, lip seals have some important drawbacks. For instance, lip seals:
• Use a rather small surface to “grab” the rotating shaft, increasing the probability of leakage
• Can’t hold high pressure very well, thus reducing their usefulness
• Wear out faster than CinchSeal rotary seals, particularly in harsh environments, severely reducing their cost-effectiveness
• Can damage rotating shafts because they are stationary
Other kinds of seals have as many or more faults, compared with CinchSeal seals, than do lip seals. The deeper the examination goes, the clearer it becomes that CinchSeal is the better choice.
CinchSeal: Better for the bottom line
For an industry such as pulp and paper that must keep its eye on the bottom line, the CinchSeal bottom line makes sense. To sum it up, CinchSeal rotary shaft seals:
• Feature innovative design features, such as elastomer that spins with the shaft, that reduce wear and tear, ensure a better seal, make maintenance and replacement easier and add to the seal’s useful life
• Reduce maintenance and replacement time and cost, thus more than making up for the apparent savings possible with the alternatives
• Provide the ideal seal solution throughout the pulp and paper production process
Since 1994, CinchSeal has been a major manufacturer of rotary shaft seals for screw conveyors, ribbon blenders and all kinds of bulk handling equipment. CinchSeal products serve as replacements and major upgrades that make the need for machine replacement less likely.
More information is available by contacting CinchSeal. Quotes and drawings are guaranteed to be available in 24 hours. Custom engineering usually takes 10 days.
