What’s a sealing washer?

If you repair things at home regularly, you should learn why sealing washers are an important part of your toolbox!

Sealing washers made of silicone rubber

Metal washers are a crucial component in carpentry for better handling psi (pounds per square inch). By distributing the weight load of a fastener over a larger surface, the integrity of a structure is improved. A compression washer is used in conjunction with standard bolts and screws to create a reinforced protective seal around the fasteners. Panova makes self-sealing silicone rubber washers that fit into standard, oversized and eccentric holes. They also offer custom rubber solutions. Whether your project requires custom rubber molds or a unique size sealing and locking piece, Panova's engineering team will work with you to design a custom product with specific materials and dimensions to suit your parameters. The rubber solutions team employs experienced engineers with specialized expertise who can solve any technical challenge of your business with the design of fasteners or custom wash molds.

Panova's standard material for self-sealing and locking washers is carbon or stainless steel. Their self-sealing washers are commonly used to attach bolts, screws, and other fasteners to water pipes. The sealing elements used for the stainless steel rings protect the pipes and connections with a liquid-tight seal. These liquid-sealing parts work in a similar way to vibration-damping washers. The soft material, which can absorb vibrations, can also seal off water or dust. The silicone sealant keeps water and other unwanted materials out by being completely and firmly attached to the surface of an object. Similar to how a neoprene wetsuit seals water to keep your body dry, the silicone rubber sealing elements form a tight enough bond to protect your fasteners. Just like neoprene, the rubber is very durable and flexible.

Advantages of self-sealing washers

Self-sealing silicone washers are superior to standard non-sealing parts and rings that use different materials to seal. It also provides metal-to-metal contact with the rubber seal element for water tightness as well as torque control and a finished appearance. The stainless steel is durable enough to withstand external elements. The metal-to-metal contact prevents loosening, while the sealing element can withstand enormous pressure loads and acts as a shock absorber for the fastening elements. The stainless steel surrounds the rubber gasket to protect it from outside damage, while both elements work together to protect the integrity of the attachment and construction.

A widely used material due to its high oil and heat resistance, silicone is flexible and durable in various environments. The temperature-resistant properties of silicone make it an outstanding material. It withstands extremely high temperatures better than any other rubber material. Silicone is also able to maintain its typical functions at extremely low temperatures below freezing point. It remains extremely flexible and resilient even in the coldest temperatures, which other types of rubber cannot. One possible disadvantage of silicone is that it is slightly more prone to tearing than other types of rubber. For this reason Panova has developed its washers to protect the sealing element from external damage.

Panova's self-sealing parts are not only exponentially more fluid and vibration-resistant than their competitors, but they are specifically designed to be durable enough to work with vacuum and high pressure fluids and gases. Their one-piece construction is practical and durable, and works with any size of screws and bolts, whether they are standard or custom made. These washers create a tight bond to protect your structures from water, dust, oil, gases, and other external contaminants. Standard parts without sealing elements not only do not provide protective properties for your constructions, but they are also more likely to lose their grip and adhesion to the fastener if contaminants leak and external damage occurs.

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