Rubber to PTFE bonding

[Martyn Rupert]

Looking for a second opinion regarding PTFE as a more viable sealing solution.

A number of rotary shaft seals used at our company have begun overheating which has to lead to excessive leakage and negatively impacting performance.

I've been speaking with a potential new rubber manufacturing supplier who has advised about the potential effectiveness of PTFE rubber bonding. They say if we replace the existing rubber element to energize the lip of the seal against the shaft which it moves against, it will help prevent this.

However, while they did state that any rubber seals they create by bonding PTFE would be more expensive to manufacture, it would be more cost-effective in the long term.

Has anyone else found this to be the case or had any similar experiences with rotary shaft seals?

I think this could be a good investment but thought it couldn't hurt see what you guys think.

 

[GrahamBennett]

You'll be very lucky to bond any rubber to PTFE. You'd probably be better off having the part made out of a suitable grade of fluoro-elastomer. Cost is obviously a factor as the polymer itself will cost anything from $10s/kg to $25,000 or more/kg depending on grade.

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[btrueblood]

"have begun overheating" - only recently? Did somebody kick up the equipment speed to make more money?

Teflon lip seals are a thing, typically having a metal spring to energize the lips and/or an o-ring for sealing on the stationary side. No bonding that I know of.

Bonding to ptfe requires etching the surface with fairly aggressive chemicals, but it is do-able.