By effectively holding vacuum, custom shaft seals can help processors increase their output and also help prevent shaft damage from abrasion, prolonging machinery life and reducing downtime. Processors planning to attend the NPE trade show this June in Chicago will find the wide world of shaft seals on display in stand #1011 in the South Hall of McCormick Place, where Woodex Bearing Company (Georgetown, ME) will display its range of these.
The company says its Meco-brand seals are available both on new equipment (factory-installed on Coperion ZSK extruders, typically used in compounding applications) and as retrofits on older equipment. They can be built to fit worn or damaged shafts with high run-out, thermal growth and axial motion. The seals are available in a variety of materials for housings and wear parts so that compatibility can be achieved with most chemical environments and process temperatures from -60° to 500°F (-50° to 260°C). They can be designed elastomer-free to eliminate problems caused by aromatic hydrocarbons and other aggressive chemicals.
According to the company, its seals reliably contain resin and additive powders and vapors, so that product contamination from packing residue or air is no longer an issue. Longer at-grade production runs are possible than with conventional seals; service life is longer and maintenance cycles are predictable. Many of them are designed so as to allow for fast retrofits and rebuilds without removal of screw shafts. —[email protected]
