Challenge:
PPT was approached by an existing customer in the semiconductor industry to assist them with a sealing application that was essential to their manufacturing process.
Specifics:
The project was to create a seal between two irregular shaped sections of a large tool. The seal had to allow for an asymmetrical track around the perimeter of the base, and affect a seal when the mating portion of this tool was lowered onto the base and bolted in place. We proposed a silicone tube that could be vulcanized at its ends and laid into the track.
Solution:
Since the material was an elastomer, the proposed silicone tube would conform to the irregularities and create a seal between the two mating parts. The customers’ engineering team came up with several iterations that allowed for every irregularity in the sealing surface. PPT produced the applicable tools, fixturing as well as numerous tubes but the customers design would not meet the sealing requirements. In desperation, upper management gave the PPT engineering team approval to proceed with building this tubular silicone seal at our own expense in order to test our theory. The seal was manufactured as originally designed and proved our design hypothesis. PPT has been producing this simplistic but essential seal made from silicone tubing for over 8 years without any failures.
Subscribe!
