• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mobile Hydraulic Tips

Mobile Hydraulic Tips focuses on pumps, fittings, valves, manifolds and other products and news in the Mobile Hydraulics industry.

  • Hydraulics Blog
  • Industry News
  • Engineering Basics
  • Components
    • Cylinders
    • Fittings / Couplings
    • Pumps / Motors
    • Sensors / Gages
    • Valves / Manifolds
    • Related components
  • Design Guides
    • Design Guide Library
    • Electro-Pneumatic Regulator & Flow Controller Design
    • Hydraulic Cylinders
    • Hydraulic Cylinder Repair
    • Hydraulic Filtration
    • Hydraulic Hose Assembly
    • Hydraulic Pumps
    • Pneumatic Actuators
    • Pressure Gauges
  • FIND A DISTRIBUTOR

Freudenberg-NOK develops bio-renewable polymer for fluid sealing

April 20, 2015 By Mary Gannon

Share

Freudenberg-NOK-EPDM-green-seals-group2A sugarcane-based polymer from Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, Plymouth, Mich., is aiming to help reduce CO2 emissions while being bio-renewable.

The ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber compound is made from a polymer produced from sugarcane-based feedstock. Development began in 2012 for the bio-renewable material. A sugarcane-produced ethanol is converted into ethylene which forms a substantial portion of the base polymer.

According to Joe Walker, global director, Advanced Materials Development, the material is typical in its function compared to conventional, hydrocarbon-based polymers and has a similar life cycle.

“We had been working with polymer suppliers for ways to reduce our carbon footprint but the polymer offerings lacked the specific characteristics we needed for our advanced manufacturing processes,” said Walker.  “So we initiated a project to research the area, and we were able to develop a material that can be used in our next generation injection molding process.”

Freudenberg-NOK has focused much of their next generation manufacturing technology on a single cavity, net shape injection molding process which has resulted in reduced waste and energy demand and overall improved manufacturing control, yielding improved quality. This new concept is becoming a staple at Freudenberg-NOK. The advent of the new, more eco-friendly EPDM rubber is a natural fit for the machines.

Applications for the rubber include seals for coolants, steam, synthetic hydraulic fluids, brake fluids and aerospace hydraulic fluids (phosphate esters). Walker added that, “the material can be substituted for conventional EPDM applications.  Initial indications are that the bio-renewable rubber may have an edge on upper temperature limits.”

The newly developed material is capable of withstanding temperatures up to 150° C, and the material has outstanding compressive stress force retention, with greater than 20% retained compressive forces after 1,000 hours, said Walker.

In addition to these properties, the sugarcane base allows the material to be 45% bio-renewable, which ultimately reduces the manufacturing carbon footprint.

Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies
www.fnst.com

Filed Under: Components, Industry News, Seals / Leakage Tagged With: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brooke Joseph says

    November 13, 2015 at 2:01 am

    It is really interesting that you were able to improve this process so much. Is this the type of thing that could be applicable to other kinds of injection molding? I think that it could be really awesome if the same result could be produced with glass injection molding. Thank you for sharing this accomplishment!

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe Today

Fluid Power World Digital Editions

Fluid Power World is written by engineers for engineers engaged in designing machines and or equipment in Off-Highway, Oil & Gas, Mining, Packaging, Industrial Applications, Agriculture, Construction, Forestry, Medical and Material Handling. Fluid Power World covers pneumatics, mobile hydraulics and industrial hydraulics.

Footer

Mobile Hydraulic Tips

FLUID POWER WORLD NETWORK

  • Fluid Power World
  • Hose Assembly Tips
  • Pneumatic Tips
  • Sealing and Contamination Tips
  • Fluid Power Distributor Lookup

MOBILE HYDRAULIC TIPS

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • About us
Follow us on Twitter  Add us on Facebook  Follow us on LinkedIn  Follow us on YouTube  Follow us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy