Download pdf - Volume 37 Number 3 Winter 2019 e atest on a tings GFA to ... Newsletter 2019.pdfe atest on a tings GFA to Unveil Plant Management Program at the Spring 2019 Meeting 610-971-4850 [email protected]

Volume 37 Number 3 Winter 2019T h e l a t e s t o n a l l t h i n g s G F A

GFA to Unveil Plant Management Program at the

Spring 2019 Meeting

610-971-4850

[email protected]

www.gasketfab.com

@gasketfab

Where Fabricators & Suppliers Connect

Technical Bulletin:Gasket Design

Guidelines

Highlights of the GFA’s Fall 2018

Meeting

The Gasket Fabricator | Winter 20192

Gap SeparationLaminatingDie CuttingAuto RatioServo Registration

Pace-Equipment.com 216-631-4555

Industrial Tapes & Adhesives800-328-2619

Performance, Technology & Value

www. mactac.com/industrialtapes

Top Notch Fluid Sealing Products And Unparalelled Sales And Service

FOR MORE INFORMATION

800. 231 .7 116 texcelrubber.com

Sheet Rubber, Matting, Compressed Sheet

Skirtboard, Channel Rubber

The Gasket Fabricator | Winter 2019 3

Table of Contents

President’s Message

Highlights of the GFA’s Fall 2018 Meeting

Press ReleasesA Progressive Wind of Change for American Biltrite’s Sales and Marketing Team

Adhesive Applications Acquires International Tape Company

CGR Products Expands with a 30,000 sq. ft. Addition

CGR Products Adds a New Wide Format Die Cutting Press

Your New Option for Transfer and Lamination Innovation

Reilly Foam Corp Moves into New Corporate Headquarters in King of Prussia, PA

RM Biltrite Introduces Marc Corwin as New Midwest Territory Sales Manager

Jacobs & Thompson Builds Strategic Partnerships with Hutchison® Foam and Converting Division

Calendered Product Line of Fairprene Inc®: Available at Trelleborg

Future Meeting Schedule

New Association Members

Technical Bulletin: Gasket Design GuidelinesBy Chris Schenck, Amorim Cork Composites

GFA to Unveil Plant Management Program at the Spring 2019 Meeting

Invisible Infrastructure – Building Bridges on the Properties of Neoprene Rubber

By John Bonforte, Sr., Monmouth Rubber & Plastics

Gasket Factors: M, YBy Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies

Density/Closest Packing DensityBy Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies

Committee Updates

Upcoming Industry Events

MD/CMD/Z-StrengthBy Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies

Benchmarking Report

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8-138

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18-20

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Thermal Insulation Gaskets

O U R M O S T V E R S A T I L E

S O L U T I O N Y E T . . .

EN45545-2

t: +44 (0) 845 674 4747 | www.ksilv-0.co.uk | [email protected]

Extruded

Profiles

Vibration

Dampening

S I L I C O N E S P O N G E

EXTRUSIONFORMED HOSE

MOLDINGFABRICATION

TEAM WITH S&R FORYOUR SEALING,

FLUID TRANSFER,CUSTOM EXTRUSION NEEDS!

WWW.SPERRYRICE.COM

PHONE: 765-647-4141

TUFFTRAC®

THERMOPLASTICS THERMOPLASTICS

®®

RUBBER

800.877.8775 | [email protected] | www.rmbiltrite.com

‣THERMOPLASTICS ‣INDUSTRIAL RUBBER ‣MASTICATED RUBBER

T M

North America, Inc.

20 Herrold Ave.Athens, Ohio 45701

Testing LaboratoryTesting EquipmentCalculationJoint IntegrityManagement System

www.amtec-services.com

[email protected]

Phone: 740-249-4941

VinylFoam FeltRubberGaskets

RELCO

Computerized Cutting


See pages 16 and 17 for more information on the

GFA’s Spring 2019 Meeting!

President’s Message

Winter is upon UsBy Shelby Ricketts

Every time I attend a GFA meeting, one of the most commonly discussed topics is, “Where has the time gone?” With two meetings per year, each gathering reminds us how quickly a year comes and goes.

Winter is here, and with it the inevitable year-end events: holidays, forecasting and, for some of us, inventory. Spring will be here before you know it, and our Plant Management Meeting will be on the horizon. The Plant Management Meeting will be held at the Saddlebrook Resort in sunny Tampa, Florida on March 12th–14th.

The Plant Management Meeting is a unique event for the GFA, designed to provide value to operations and production personnel. Personally, I am excited to bring some new people from my company to meet and share ideas with their peers in the industry. Of course, this requires planning ahead to ensure that things run smoothly at the plant while our Production Manager attends the meeting. It also requires some pre-planning, since I am planning travel for some new members of the company who have not previously attended a meeting.

I am hoping that each of you will do the same in bringing new operations and plant personnel, and making sure that you are planning ahead in order to get them there. The Plant Management Meeting will be a unique, informative session. Even if your Plant or Operations managers cannot stay for the full three day meeting, consider bringing them for the 12th and 13th, where they will get the most benefit from the workshops.

One of the best benefits of getting people to the GFA meetings is simply to get them off-site, away from the day-to-day firefighting and crisis management, so that they have time to think strategically. It is a luxury that operations personnel don’t often get to enjoy.

So please consider planning ahead for this Spring’s meeting. You may see some additional mail pieces or email reminders prompting you to plan for it. It will be here before you know it and I look forward to seeing you all there!

Regards,

Shelby Ricketts


Highlights of the GFA’s Fall 2018 MeetingThe GFA’s Fall 2018 Meeting, held at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront in Seattle, Washington, was a success with over 120 attendees and 28 exhibitors. Program highlights included a well-attended keynote presentation titled “GET SWITCHED ON! Reevaluate and Recharge” by Chip Eichelberger, CSP, and presentations by Associated Pacific Machine Corp., LasX Industries, Mohawk Fabric Company, Preco, Inc., and tesa tape, inc.

In addition, based on feedback from GFA Members, the committee meeting schedule was modified to open up time for a high energy, high impact presentation by two fishmongers from Seattle’s World Famous Pike Place Fish, as well as Jim Bergquist, their longtime coach from Creative Business Futures, on “A Game Worth Playing: Creating a Company Where People Love to Work.” Attendees enjoyed the educational session featuring interactive fish throwing! Some of the most positive feedback came from attendees of the CEO Luncheon, Fabricator Forum, and Roundtable Discussion Session. These lively sessions, held at each of the GFA’s semi-annual meetings, allow attendees to discuss topics of specific interest to them, and to gain useful insight from some of the top industry professionals. As always, the meeting also provided plenty of opportunities for members to network and to have productive conversations with industry peers during the Supplier Expo, receptions, meal functions, golf tournament (26 golfers), and the Seattle Sightseeing Tour (23 participants). The next GFA Meeting, featuring the launch of a special Plant Management Program, will be held in Tampa, Florida at the Saddlebrook Resort on March 12-14, 2019.



Press Releases

In 2018, Frédéric Guérin (Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Industrial Rubber Division of American Biltrite) made some significant changes to the American Biltrite Sales & Marketing team. The goal of these changes was to harness the strength of each team member, by strategically placing them in roles where they can make the most positive impact and better serve their customers. After 25 years of excellent service at American Biltrite, Ward Williamson retired this summer. Nick Sabatini joined the team to take over as Regional Sales Manager for Ontario and Western Canada, bringing with him decades of experience in the rubber industry. He has more than 20 years of experience acquired in different sales management positions. Sales agent Pierre Bineau continues to cover Québec and the maritime provinces for American Biltrite. Jean Vavrek also joined the American Biltrite team as Market Manager for the mining industry, with the ideal background and connections to move the company forward in this growing forum. Jean held several management positions at ABB in Montreal and Sweden. He had been the Executive Director of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum for the past 13 years prior to joining the team. Tracey Lancaster has been promoted to Marketing Manager. Tracey has been with American Biltrite since 2009. In her new role, she will supervise the development of marketing materials and she will devote her time and efforts to developing inside sales initiatives to generate qualified leads for their distributors and also helping the specification of their products. Her efforts will assist American Biltrite partners with their sales and marketing campaigns. American Biltrite also welcomed a new marketing coordinator, Tessa Trott, to support sales activities and increase overall visibility in the market. Tessa has a Bachelor’s degree in business administration with a marketing concentration and four years of experience as a marketing coordinator for Camso. Rounding out the Sales & Marketing team, Robert Davidson will remain Product Manager and will continue to use his 43 years of experience with American Biltrite to push product development forward and focus on market expansion. As a U.S. Regional Manager, Glenn Orn continues to work diligently with

A Progressive Wind of Change for American Biltrite’s Sales and Marketing Team

associations and buying groups, and grows sales in his territory year over year. Business Development Manager Paul Smith is dedicated to sales management of the western U.S. and works on new business development and major accounts throughout the United States. With these changes, American Biltrite proudly offers outstanding customer service by serving partners with efficiency, professionalism, innovation, and speed. A committed sales team of 30 sales agents are driven to assist you in growing your business, with a sweeping coverage of the U.S. and Canada, for partnerships that last. Toll-Free: 1-888-275-7075. Or email at [email protected] with any inquiry or quote request.

Adhesive Applications is an innovative developer and manufacturer of silicone, foam, film, transfer, acrylic, and rubber adhesive tapes, and we are pleased to announce the acquisition of the technology and capabilities of International Tape Company (ITC) in New Hampshire.

“We are really excited about this acquisition,” said CEO Michael Schaefer. “ITC has been making quality products for years and we have always respected and admired their products.”

“This acquisition enables us to expand the solutions we can offer our customers. ITC manufactures double-coated hot melt products and has developed some unique technology. We are working to integrate this into our latest product offerings,” said Judette Savino, Adhesive Applications Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

“We expect to be fulfilling orders from ITC’s New Hampshire facility for the next several months,” said Steve Pepin, Adhesive Applications’ Operations Manager. “After that, we will move technology to our facilities in Easthampton, Massachusetts.”

Data sheets for ITC products are available on the Adhesive Applications website under our Rubber Adhesive Tapes Category at adhesiveapps.com/our-products. To order, contact Adhesive Applications at [email protected] or 413-527-7120.

Adhesive Applications Acquires International Tape Company


F u t u r e M e e t i n g S c h e d u l e

GFA Fall2019 Meeting

September 24-26, 2019Lansdowne Resort & Spa

Leesburg, Virginia

Gasketing/Converting Expo ‘20

May 18-20, 2020Rosen Shingle Creek

Orlando, Florida

GFA Spring2019 Meeting

March 12-14, 2019Saddlebrook Resort

Tampa, Florida

CGR’s growth over the past several years has fueled new equipment purchases and the need to stock higher volumes of inventory necessary to support that growth. This growth led to overcrowded manufacturing and warehouse conditions that hampered additional growth opportunities and created an inefficient working environment. The 30,000 sq. ft. expansion increases the current footprint by almost 50% and will ease crowded conditions in manufacturing and warehousing areas and position the company to pursue new opportunities. Future business growth should lead to additional labor and machinery necessary to support that growth.

Visit our website today at www.CGRProducts.com.

CGR Products Expands with a 30,000 sq. ft. Addition

CGR Products in Greensboro, NC has added its 2nd Bruno wide format die cutting press, adding more capacity for large volume orders. This new press has a cutting size of 84” x 75” and uses a power-driven belt to move material and parts along. “This new press is ideal for large volume customers or large surface area parts in the automotive, transportation, heavy equipment, and filtration markets,” said Alan Johnson, Sales Manager at CGR Products. Bruno presses are made in the USA and used by large manufacturing companies throughout the world, primarily in the automotive and gasket industries. With two Bruno wide format die cutting presses, CGR Products is ideal for truckload and trailer drop converting. These presses have dedicated loading docks for truckload in-out services.

For more information about die cutting, please visit our Custom Die Cutting page.

CGR Products Adds a New Wide Format Die Cutting Press


MICROCELLULAR URETHANE & CELLULAR RUBBER PRODUCTS WWW.GRISWOLDLLC.COM [email protected]

I-series

(304) 525-3116 | rubberlite.com

Our latest innovation in HyPUR-cel® provides exceptional high temperature

compression set performance while maintaining the dimensional

stability of the foam.

Email: [email protected] http://www.eastcoastshielding.com

K-FLEX

K-FLEX USA LLC 100 Nomaco Drive Youngsville, NC 27596Phone: [email protected]

K-FLEX Performance FoamsLeading Manufacturer of Elastomeric and XLPE Continuous Rolls

Discover the complete K-TEK range!> INSUL-SHEET> HT> ECO> K 41-PA> K 41-PAG> K 41-PAT

> K 41-PB> K 41-N> K 42-N> K 43-N> K 40-P> K 40-E

> K 20-X> K 40-X> K GK/GV> K AB 15

AMERICA, INC.

6 Leighton PlaceMahwah � NJ 07430-3119Phone: 201-891-5530Email: [email protected]

Always a cut above - since 1870

New!800-871-7596www.Ttarp.com

Foam Plank-to-Plank Hot Air Laminator

Hot Melt Adhesive Roll Coater

Foam Plank Edge-to-Edge Welder

Gasket Materials and Sealing Solutions

(937) 498.2222 www.thermosealinc.com


DO YOU WANT YOUR PRESS RELEASE FEATURED IN A

FUTURE ISSUE?Contact the GFA office for details!

[email protected]

Press Releases

For decades, tesa tape, inc. has provided customers on a global basis high performance, pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes for permanent mounting applications. Now, with the addition of recently launched transfer and non-woven tapes, the enhanced assortment fulfills the rigorous production demands and increasingly complex regulatory requirements of converting and lamination activities in the gasket and fabrication market. Developed to both streamline manufacturing processes and improve product designs, our environmentally-friendly assortment of waterborne acrylic adhesive tapes are ideal for laminating and joining dissimilar materials under various conditions.

To support increasing government regulations for low VOC, the enhanced tesa product assortment for lamination and fabricating showcases compliant adhesive tapes. According to a VDA 278 analysis, tesa’s low and ultra-low VOC product assortment meets the GB regulations from China for restricted single substances, as it does for the indoor concentration guidelines by JAMA (Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association). Additionally, the VDA 278 analysis shows excellent results for the total VOC concentration for the ultra-low VOC products. This product assortment also fulfills typical automotive OEM fogging limits.

Your New Option for Transfer and Lamination Innovation

Beyond the benefits of low VOC, the product assortment offers:

1. Superior Adhesion Performance: formulated for a wide range of surfaces – including plastics, glass, and stainless steel, as well as soft substrates, such as foams, felt, fleece, and rubber – the new line of adhesive tapes for laminating and fabrication provide high tack and high adhesion on both polar surfaces (HSE) and difficult to bond non-polar surfaces (LSE).

2. Wide Range of Sizes: to meet converter requirements, the tapes are available in up to a 60” (1524mm) total web width, and range in thicknesses from 50μm / 2.0 mil to 150μm / 6.0 mil.

3. Global Production Footprint: our newly expanded facility in Michigan allows us to further utilize a global production and distribution network to meet customer demands and develop tailored adhesive solutions, including custom sizes, different configurations of liners, and unique thicknesses.

tesa’s investment in state-of-the-art equipment reinforces its commitment to the converters and fabricators in the lamination and gasket market. From its proven adhesive performance and superior chemical and temperature resistance to its excellent converting properties, tesa’s expanded assortment of waterborne acrylic transfer and non-woven tapes complement our existing assortment of lamination products and provide converters and their industrial customers a greater range of options and true competitive advantage. To learn more, please visit tesatape.com.


New GFA Members

AMG Industries LLCMt. Vernon, OH

www.amgindustries.com

Fabrication Specialties, Inc. Bridgeview, IL

www.fabricationspecialties.com

Regular Members

Associate Members

JDC Solutions Mount Suliet, TNwww.jdcinc.com

Marc Corwin has joined RM Biltrite as our Midwest Territory Sales Manager. Marc will be responsible for 14 states in the Midwest with our Industrial Rubber Sheeting and Matting, as well as our USA manufactured Vinyl Matting products.

Marc brings with him an impressive and well-rounded 20+ years of experience in professional consulting and service sales. He has extensive business-to-business sales experience with several medium to large companies. His ability to develop account relationships, coupled with his technical aptitude and understanding, makes him the perfect addition to our team.

In addition to his sales experience, Marc was honorably discharged from the United States Navy after serving deployments to both Antarctica and New Zealand.

Marc has been married to his wife, Jenelle, for 11 years. They reside in Chicago, where they are raising two sons, Dean and Jared. In his spare time, Marc enjoys traveling, camping and gathering with friends.

We are extremely excited to announce Marc’s arrival in this territory. We hope that you will join us in welcoming Marc to this position.

RM Biltrite Introduces Marc Corwin as New Midwest Territory Sales Manager

Reilly Foam Corp has moved into its new corporate headquarters in King of Prussia, PA as it plans for its next phase of growth!

Reilly Foam continues to grow and expand with an eye towards the future. Our Pennsylvania manufacturing facility and Corporate headquarters have just finished moving into our newly renovated location at 751 Fifth Avenue in King of Prussia. This facility will enable us to both streamline efficiencies in our manufacturing plant and warehouse while still leaving us room for future expansion. We look forward to being even better able to serve our customers and continue growing our business and welcome all into our new facility.

Reilly Foam Corp Moves into New Corporate Headquarters in King of Prussia, PA

Press Releases


If you want to stay ahead of the curve, receive big bang for your buck, and develop beneficial and profitable relationships in the industry, then you have to join the GFA. If you want technical intelligence and support, personal development, business development, and a host of services tailored for your business and your industry, then there

is nowhere else to look.

Join today at www.gasketfab.com

Trelleborg’s engineered coated fabrics operations boasts the industry’s most comprehensive product offering of polymer-coated gasketing materials, including products using the original product specifications and formulations of the calendered product line of Fairprene, Inc.® which have been specified in thousands of end-use applications across a multitude of market segments.

In 2002, Trelleborg purchased all trade secrets, proprietary information, inventions, formulations, know-how, processing and testing information from Fairprene, Inc. for their rubber calendered sheet goods and coated fabrics product lines. Since the purchase, Trelleborg’s engineered coated fabrics operation has been producing materials per these formulations and technologies in their Rutherfordton, NC, facility. Trelleborg also acquired custom manufacturing equipment in the purchase that is still in use today.

These products, combined with more recent advancements in materials and processes, represent Trelleborg’s commitment to providing its customers with solutions proven by decades of success in the field as well as new and ever-evolving capabilities. Trelleborg’s goal is to provide innovative solutions that accelerate performance for its customers in a sustainable way.

Connect with Trelleborg’s engineered coated fabrics operation on LinkedIn to join the conversation, and keep up with their latest innovations that are positively impacting the world.

*Trelleborg did not acquire the name or the trademark Fairprene®. In January 2018, Alpha Engineered Composites purchased the Fairprene® brand name.

Calendered Product Line of Fairprene Inc®: Available at Trelleborg

Jacobs & Thompson had built strategic partnerships with North American Distribution Partnership with Hutchison® Foam and Converting Division. J&T is your direct source for Bulatex® EPDM foams, including semi-closed cell & soft to firm closed cell EPDMs. All Hutchison Bulatex® foams are produced in buns, which J&T can skive to thickness or convert into master roll lengths. We look forward to expanding the Bulatex® supply chain and product availability in North America through our foam converting customer base.

J&T will offer the following items in our inventory to start. Please let us know if we can get you a sample and pricing on any of these Bulatex® products.

• C162 Medium - Closed Cell• C167 Medium - Closed Cell• H16C Hard - Closed Cell• VS16A Very Soft - Semi-Closed• VS165 Very Soft - Semi-Closed• VS165-S Ve ry Soft - Semi-Closed

With our state of the art equipment, we are able to supply you with materials that are ready to be laminated with your own adhesive, or provide materials that are press ready. This will allow you to maximize your throughput and increase efficiencies. Contact us today to discuss how we can assist you.

J&T has been around for over 70 years and specializes in the distribution of elastomeric cellular materials with and without adhesive to converters and fabricators across North America. We are now expanding this offering to include cross-linked polyethylene in sheet and roll stock, as well as, the depth & breadth of materials and formats available to you.

Jacobs & Thompson Builds Strategic Partnerships with Hutchison® Foam and Converting Division

Join the GFA Today!


Gasket Design GuidelinesA gasket material suitability is defined by a variety of application factors shown in the adjacent diagram. The common perception that temperature and chemical resistance must be assured are only part of the equation. Amorim Cork Composites systems approach ensures joint integrity by considering the multiple variables that are involved.

Flange & Sealing Area - Proper Flange & Gasket DesignGasket compression design by application of spaced fasteners is also a function of plate thickness, acceptable gasket pressures, gasket performance under compression, and flange dimensions.

Maximum gasket deflection occurs at the location where the fastener applies force.

The amount of bowing or deflection of the cover flange depends on several factors. This effect may be minimized by proper design of the fastener spacing, cover / flange plate thickness and stiffness, and proper selection of gasket materials. Use our application distortion graphs to define the best material thickness for your application.

Temperature and Medium - Adequate Material SelectionOur products are made to proprietary formulas and are only manufactured by Amorim. There are literally infinite possible formulations within each type of polymer and cork, inclusively the blend of polymer types.

A wide range of variations on physical properties like tensile strength, compressibility, and hardness can be found amongst our products made of the same basic

Technical Bulletin

Gasket Design GuidelinesBy Chris Schenck,Amorim Cork Composites


elastomer, and these are all factors that usually greatly affect the functionality in the application.

Other factors like chemical resistance and temperature range also vary, but normally to a lesser degree.

View our detailed Material Data Sheets for temperature and chemical resistance, or contact us for further information.

Fasteners - Thread StandardsISO metric screw thread is the preferred series and has displaced many older systems. Other common systems include the British Standard Whitworth, BA system (British Association), and the SAE Unified Thread Standard.

ISO metric screw threads are designated by the letter M followed by the major diameter of the thread in millimeters, e.g. M8 x 1.25.

For sizes 1/4” diameter and larger, the SAE Unified Thread Standard sizes are designated as 1/4”-20, 1/4”-28, etc., the first number giving the diameter in inches and the second number being threads per inch. Most thread sizes are available in UNC or UC (Unified Coarse or Unified Fine Thread).

View extensive thread details in the Joint QTOOL.

Fasteners - Mechanical ClassificationsThe numbers or shapes stamped on the head of the bolt are referred to as the grade of the bolt and defines the strength of a bolt.

The international standard for metric screws is defined by ISO 898. SAE J1199 and ASTM F568M. In case of imperial sizes the grade is dictated by the number of radial shapes. ASTM and ISO bolts use integer values to indicate grades.

View extensive fastener grade properties in the Joint QTOOL.

Assembly Procedure• Inspect fasteners, nuts and washers and clean flange surface.

Replace any component if necessary.• Do not use lubricated fasteners unless previously specified

by torque evaluation. Evaluate torque using our Joint QTOOL software.

• Use washers under fasteners and nuts where possible.• Install new gasket; never reuse old gaskets or use multiple

gaskets.• Install fasteners in cross pattern sequence (see right) and

hand tighten.• Optimal uniform fastener tightening is obtained in three

steps until the final torque is achieved, following the cross pattern sequence for every step.


GFA to Unveil Plant Management Program at the Spring 2019 MeetingThe GFA is gearing up to unveil a special Plant Management Program at the Spring 2019 Meeting on March 12-14, 2019 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa Florida. This meeting will offer a unique learning opportunity specifically designed for key production personnel in leadership roles, or those who aspire to such positions.

Plant and operations managers will have the opportunity to share ideas and solve problems with peers in the industry, as well as to learn from experts on best practices that can improve company operations. It will also give top executives the opportunity to discuss new ideas with the leaders who are responsible for production in their respective companies. Everyone will leave with fresh ideas and perspectives, and develop new contacts with industry peers who share similar everyday issues and challenges.

The enhanced schedule will include a keynote presentation by Bruce Hamilton, the President of the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership, four educational workshops, and a roundtable discussion session, where plant managers will have an opportunity to discuss timely and relevant production-focused topics. The program will also include the Supplier Expo, and plenty of opportunities to network and connect.

Invite a Plant Manager, Supervisor, Cell Leader or Lead Hand to join you at this very special event. Registration is now open!

Keynote Presentation

"Everybody Everyday" Creating a True Improvement CultureBruce HamiltonThe Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP)

While the impact of Lean manufacturing methods and philosophy are well documented, few manufacturers reap the full benefits of quality, cost, and delivery that they should expect. According to Bruce Hamilton, President of GBMP and creator of “Toast Kaizen”, most organizations are too happy, too soon, settling for mediocre gains that may feel good but are well below excellent. Too many companies become complacent when their Lean implementations move them from chaos to stability. At that critical point, improvement efforts stagnate when they should just be accelerating. In his two-hour keynote presentation, Hamilton will share the key characteristics of manufacturers who genuinely profit from Lean transformation. Borrowing from 35 years of experience as a manufacturing executive, consultant, and student of Lean, Bruce will focus on the non-transferable role of senior leaders to provide both the information and inspiration needed to create compelling year-on-year financial outcomes. In Bruce’s words, “Once we understand Lean, it makes perfect sense to everyone – company, employees, and customers. But Lean concepts and tools are such a departure from traditional manufacturing that without a visible commitment from top managers, employees will be afraid to risk the new approach.” Is your organization breaking through to best in class productivity and customer service or are you struggling to sustain an early gain from your Lean implementation? Discover the difference your roles can make to affect an authentic breakthrough.

March 12 - 14, 2019 | Saddlebrook Resort | Tampa, FL

Register NOW! www.gasketfab.com/events.php


WORKSHOP 2 MARCH 12, 2019 AT 3:15PM

BUILDING A HEALTH & SAFETY CULTURE IN A CONVERTER’S WORLD Serge Veilleux, VP Operations American Biltrite

Whether you are a small or a large operation, having your employees leaving their day of work as healthy as they came in is critical to your success. In this workshop, Serge Veilluex will use the American Biltrite experience, where the team was able to achieve a 30% reduction in recordable injuries and a 40% reduction in lost days, to present the importance of supported culture in improving the Health and Safety process.

WORKSHOP 3

IMPLEMENTING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN CONVERTING FACILITIES Stewart Anderson, Director of Continuous Improvement Angelo Lyall, Director of Business Development Canada Rubber Group Inc.

The complexity and variety inherent in converting environments require a different approach to continuous improvement than that for repetitive manufacturing or assembly line production. This workshop highlights the unique challenges of implementing continuous improvement in converting facilities, explores what works and what doesn’t, and provides managers with a road-map for continuously improving their operations.

MARCH 12, 2019 AT 4:30PM

WORKSHOP 1

THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS Darin Carr, Plant ManagerRichard Wilmoth, Plant ManagerBrandon Shaneyfelt, Plant ManagerCGR Products

Learn how production constraints are created, recognized, and eliminated. This workshop highlights the concepts developed by Eliyahi Goldratt in his famous book “The Goal.” Participants will leave with an understanding about how constraints impact costs and profits, and will be better equipped to improve lead times and customer satisfaction in their business.

MARCH 12, 2019 AT 2:00PM

WORKSHOP 4

CHAOS TO EXCELLENCE Bruce Hamilton, President Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP) Shingo Prize Winner

In this entertaining workshop, Bruce Hamilton will provide hands-on simulations of each stage of improvement to demonstrate the connection between the technical and social sciences practiced by lean implementers, and how each contributes to individual and organizational development. The workshop will focus in particular on management’s role to create an environment that will enable a consistently high level of just-in-time performance.

MARCH 13, 2019 AT 1:00PM

Workshops


A LOT of stressWhen you travel your world - to and from work, to the mall, to the side of the road to ponder the world’s largest ball made from rubber bands – you cross bridges. The big ones impress us with their huge pylons and thick cables. The smaller spans we hardly notice, though we could not get where we want to go without them. Have you ever wondered how they accommodate the stresses we apply to them? Why does the constant vibration of Los Angeles traffic not crack foundations, why does the sudden breaking of a speeding freight train not separate steel from its anchors?

Keep in mind that those man-made stresses are no match for Mother Nature. Outdoor structures of every kind either concede to her superior strength, conform to her movements, or they fail. How then can bridges and dams stand up to Chicago’s cold, to Arizona’s heat, and to California’s rumbling earthquakes?

The answer is Rubber.

It is the unique ability of polymers to stretch and recover that keep bridges, and us as we drive over them, safely suspended. More specifically, there are eight characteristics of properly compounded rubber that allow man-made structures, like bridges, to recover from such a wide variety of stresses over time.

Avoiding a knee replacementThe parts that prevent bridge components from failing under stress are called bearing pads. They are mostly made out of Neoprene rubber and they sit between the concrete pilings and the bridge surface – allowing the bridge surface to vibrate and to expand and contract without grinding against the concrete that holds them up. If the bearing pads fail, you have a big problem. Therefore, the important characteristics are not only those that enable Neoprene pads to elongate and protect bridge parts, but how durable the pads are under differing conditions.

Think about your knees – the bone on the top is the femur and the bone below is the tibia. In between are pads that keep them from grinding together. Those pads are the meniscus which are like the bearing pads of your body. Osteoarthritis can erode your meniscus causing pain and limiting your ability to walk. Without properly compounded polymeric material in the knees of your bridge, the same thing can happen – the pads can fail and allow bridge parts to wear.

Neoprene rubber is the most often used substance for bearing pads. The simple reason for this is that the characteristics of this compound are well known and have been in use in this application for over fifty years. The approval process for any other substance is tedious so, for now, Neoprene rubber is “spec’d in.” It’s important to note that the term Neoprene doesn’t mean much unless it is associated with a specific compound, a complex set of ingredients and steps approved for use in highly technical applications like bridge bearing pads.

Keeping us all in the airThis section will review the most commonly measured characteristics of Neoprene rubber and how they work together to keep our bridges (cars, buses, trucks and trains, too) in the air.

This paper seeks to simplify the various terms and methods used to describe the properties of rubber. Because most people cross bridges every day and can

relate to the various stresses that must be experienced by such

structures, the characteristics are explained by using the example

of bridge bearing pads.

Invisible Infrastructure: Building Bridges on the Properties of Neoprene Rubber.By John Bonforte, Sr.Technical Support & General Manager Monmouth Rubber & Plastics


HardnessA piece of rubber can be as firm as the rubber on a car tire or as soft as the dish sponge in your sink. Hardness in rubber is measured along a scale known as Shore durometer. The device used to measure hardness is, confusingly, also called a Shore durometer. Both measure the hardness of polymers, elastomers, and rubbers. Higher numbers on the scale indicate a greater resistance to indentation, and therefore harder materials. Lower numbers are for those less resistant to indentation and softer. Hardness keeps a material from squeezing down into a pancake, and the amount of acceptable “squeeze” has been designed into every bridge you cross. The engineered acceptable range must be maintained when the bridge sits empty by itself and when it is covered end to end in vehicles.

Tensile propertiesTake a rubber band and stretch it. The more you stretch, the more force you put on it – that force is described by tensile properties. Assume that the rubber band stretched from 1 inch to 4 inches where it finally broke. The gap from one inch to four is measured as percent elongation and the ultimate elongation is the point where it snapped and bit your finger. The force that got it to 4 inches (where it broke) is measured in PSI and is called ultimate tensile.

Our bridge bearing pad, in order to protect the concrete piling and bridge surface, has to move in place of the piling underneath it. As the bridge moves laterally the rubber naturally distorts forward and backward. Without the right tensile and elongation, it won’t function as a bearing pad. The top of the pad must remain still relative to the bridge surface, the bottom stays still relative to the piling, but the middle has to stretch one way or the other. Think of a bridge expanding or contracting with temperature change. Tensile properties measure how much stretch a material has to offer.

CompressionPush down on a stack of sponges. What do you expect to happen? That’s one of the core characteristics of rubbers, when you squeeze them down you want them to recover when the pressure is taken off. The battery of tests used to measure these properties are known as the compression set. They measure a material’s ability to squeeze down yet return to its original thickness. When your uncle drives his big rig over a bridge, you don’t want a bearing pad which is as thick as, perhaps, twenty fluffy pancakes to squeeze down to the thickness of one and stay there. It would no longer do its job and the bridge and road surfaces would no longer align. You want the pad to compress slightly, absorbing some of the force, protecting concrete piling, and then to regain its shape as the truck passes. Bridges remain outdoors and are subject to every condition that Mother Nature has to offer. Forces can come from unexpected directions (like those generated by an earthquake). Bridges are also put into service for a long time. Therefore, compressive stresses are applied at a variety of temperatures and deflections.

DensityDensity is a frequently misused term. People often say that they want a firm density or a soft density when density is actually an expression of a substance’s weight in pounds per cubic foot. Density is more a measure of the content quality of rubber than a description of its physical characteristics.

Specific gravity is the measurement used for density. Specific gravity compares the density of the material you are measuring to the density of water. For example, a cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 pounds at sea level. A cellular product with a density of 31.2 pounds per cubic foot would have a specific gravity of .5 because it is half the specific gravity of water. Similarly, a solid product with a density of 124.8 pounds per cubic foot would have a specific gravity of 2. Simple Neoprene is about 70 pounds per cubic foot. By the time you are done compounding, it’s about 80. Therefore, you wouldn’t want a bridge pad to have a density of 150 pounds per cubic foot because you wouldn’t know what else was in it.

As you ride in a comfortable train seat and begin to cross a bridge, density lets you know that you can trust the rubber materials used in the bridge’s construction. Materials known to be of the proper density will function as designed because


Disaster Recovery programThe GFA is very proud to offer a disaster recovery program, which allows Regular (Fabricator) members to benefit from knowing that in the event of a disaster, their businesses will be protected, and their customers will continue to have their product and service needs met. In the event of a disaster, this

program will give you quick access to fellow GFA members whose capabilities best match what you may need.

To begin, contact the GFA office at [email protected] or 610-971-4850.

they are not overly high with filler content. Like a good crab cake is made with mostly crab and a not so good crab cake is made with a lot of other stuff, a good bearing pad is made with mostly Neoprene rubber.

Oxygen ResistanceAntioxidants protect the rubber from the effects of oxygen exposure, or oxidation. Rubber polymers are hydrocarbons and, in the overall scheme of things, they want to return to their natural state of being free hydrogen and free oxygen. A rubber article that has been degraded by either oxygen or ozone looks like there is a silver-gray film and or cracks on the surface of the rubber. The compounder needs to put antioxidants into the rubber to slow down the oxidation of the polymers over time and extend the life of the bearing pad.

Our bodies essentially perform the same way and current medical wisdom states that a diet rich in antioxidants may similarly provide us with longevity. This is where the unique formulation of the bearing pad comes into play. There are a variety of ingredients that must be added to the rubber compound and many of these formulations are proprietary. Additionally, there are also anti-ozonants that are added to protect against ozone.

These are chemicals and waxes that “bleed” to the surface of rubber articles and protect them against the effects of ozone. They allow the bearing pad you drive over today to perform the same way ten years from now when you drive over it with your children and twenty five years after that with your grandchildren.

TemperatureYou visit your rubber compounder to inspect a new material. It stretches out to the perfect tensile and elongation at room temperature. Would you get in your car and drive over a bridge supported by that material? What if that bridge is in Arizona on a hot day? Suppose you are driving in New Hampshire in the dead of winter? Do you know what the performance physicals are then? Does the pad stretch too far in the heat or is it rigid in the cold? Temperature influences the properties of polymers much more than with many other construction materials.

This is not just seen as variations in the actual properties when the temperature changes but also in that critical temperatures are reached relatively early. Therefore, there are a number of tests for bridge pad rubber that confirm it maintains the desired characteristics through a wide range of temperatures.

This is another example of where the formulation is key, as is having trust in the compounder. The wrong formulation won’t function adequately and therefore the parts being protected could be exposed to more wear and fail sooner than designed.

ResilienceResilience is another commonly misunderstood characteristic. Many people assume that resilience refers to the resilience of the final product – how long it will last. Resilience is actually a measure of the ability of a rubber compound to recover to the specified thickness under pressure and deformation, how elastic it is when exposed to various stresses. There is initial resilience and then there is the retention of resilience over years and environmental conditions. Resilience is measured as the ratio of energy released in deformation recovery to the energy that caused the deformation.

After two recent hurricanes and years of service in New York City traffic, you are confident that the bridge you are about to cross has recovered from the commuter train ahead of you due to the resilience of the rubber used in the bearing pads.

ConclusionThe Neoprene used in bridge bearing pads is a synthetic product engineered to function for a long time in an environment filled with natural and artificial stresses. From earthquakes and hurricanes, to freight trains and LA traffic, these components need to function as designed decade after decade. The effects of sunlight, ozone, heat, and cold need to be addressed as well in the formulation so that the bearings stretch and recover and protect the bridges we drive over. Working with a knowledgeable and experienced compounder is key.


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BACKGROUNDThe Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code is the standard by which all such vessels are designed and built. The full code is contained in multiple volumes that are revised and published every two years by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Addendums are issued twice yearly. The cost of a copy of the entire code is rather expensive, about $16,000, however separate sections can be purchased separately.

The code establishes rules of safety governing the design, fabrication, and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels, and nuclear power plant components during construction. The objective of the rules is to provide a margin for deterioration in service. Advancements in design and material and the evidence of experience are constantly being added by Addenda.

Originating in 1914, the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code is now adopted in part, or in its entirety, by all 50 states and numerous municipalities and territories of the United States, Canada and over one hundred different countries. The Boiler and Pressure Committee, a volunteer group of more than 950 engineers, keeps the Code current. The Committee meets regularly to consider requests for interpretations, revision, and to develop new rules.

GASKET FACTORSGaskets for the use with these types of vessels governed by the Code are also carefully controlled.

This brings us to the definition and use of the Gasket Factors that are used in the Code.

Because the mechanical behavior characteristics of the gasket are complex and specific data is generally unavailable, the design of gasketed joints has been reduced to a series of simplified equations based on experimentally determined “gasket factors”. The basic behavior of the gasket is supposedly defined by the gasket factors, which are tabulated in the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.

This procedure has been successful and is still widely used. Research in recent years, however, shows that the present Code gasket factors give an overly simplified view of the behavior of a gasket. A far more complete understanding is emerging.

The ASME Code for Pressure Vessels, Section VIII, Div. 1, App. 2, is the most commonly used design method for gasketed joints. An integral part of the ASME code center on two factors:

• The M factor, often called the gasket maintenance factor, which is associated with the hydrostatic end force and the operation of the joint. When the vessel is pressurized, the contact pressure on the gasket is reduced to some residual value, depending on the elastomeric behavior

GASKET FACTORS: m, yBy Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies


of the gasket and its relationship to the elasticity of the joint. Experiments show that the liquid or gaseous pressure a joint will contain is proportional to the amount of residual contact pressure exerted by the joint surfaces on the gasket and that the contact pressure on the gasket must be larger than the pressure being contained. The ratio of the contact pressure to the contained pressure is called the M factor and may be different for different types of gasket as suggested in the following table of some typical m and y factors.

• The Y Factor: The Y factor is the minimum seating stress associated with a particular type of gasket material. The Y factor is only concerned with the initial assembly of the joint.

Some typical values for M and Y are given in the table below. A complete list can be found in the Code (Section VIII, Division 1, Appendix II, Table 2-5.1). A full copy of the table would be too large for this publication but it can be accessed from the ASME standards. The M factor is essentially a multiplier on pressure to increase the gasket clamping load to such an amount that the hydrostatic end force does not unseat the gasket to the point of leakage.

Note that the Y and M factors, respectively, define the amount of assembly stress that must be placed on the gasket and the amount of residual stress that must be present to prevent a leak after the system has been pressurized. Decades of experience and experiment have shown that both gasket factors are equally important.

The factors were originally determined in 1937, and even though there have been objections to their specific values, these factors have remained essentially unchanged to date. The use of these factors since that time has been the standard used for pressure vessel design.

A More Modern Method:Gasket factors similar to the ASME Code M and Y have been in use for about 80 years. Generally, they have served the industry well, however, the factors do not consider the leak rate of a gasketed joint. In these environmentally sensitive times, there is a need for an approach to bolted joint design that considers leakage and makes the tightness of the joint a design criterion. Much research and testing was done by the Pressure Vessel Research Committee (PVRC) starting in the 1980’s on an improved design process based in leakage rates of gasketed joints.

Tightness may be thought of as the internal pressure needed to cause a small leak rate in a joint. For example, if a tight joint requires 15,000 psi to cause a small leak rate, a pressure of 150 psi would cause the same small leak in a joint that is 100 times less tight. For a gasket, tightness is a measure of its ability to control the leak rate of the joint for a given load. A tighter gasket requires higher internal pressure to push the same amount of fluid through the joint. In other words, the tighter the seal, the lower the leak rate.

Additional information on any of these factors in sealing can be found in the following publications.

SOURCES• Handbook of FLUID SEALING, by Robert

Brink et. al., published by McGraw-Hill, 1993• 2007 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,

Section VIII, Division 1, Appendix II, ASME (or latest edition)

• An Introduction to the Design and Behavior of Bolted Joints, by John H. Bickford, published by Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1990


DENSITY/CLOSEST PACKING DENSITY

The first term is easily recognizable and is used to describe the weight of a material in a prescribed volume, usually reports in pound per cubic foot or in metric at grams per cubic centimeter. Most gasket materials fall in the range of 40 lbs./ft3 to 100 lbs./ft3. Water has a nominal density of 62.4 lbs./ft3. Generally speaking, materials with lower density have higher compressibility, poorer sealability, and greater creep relaxation. This is because there is porosity within the material which compresses more easily, reducing volume as is compresses. Another concept which may not be as well-known or reported is the concept of Closest Packing Density or Maximum Density. This occurs when the compressive load is increased, and the material reaches a point at which it cannot continue to compress without changing shape. It becomes a 100% solid mass. Most gasket materials exhibit this property when the density approaches 135-150 lbs./ft3. This number can be calculated if the densities and weights of all of the constituents which make up the material are known but, in general, 135-150 lbs./ft3 is a good approximation for most gasket materials. The effects of reaching the Closest Packing Density are clearly seen if a metal eyelet or grommet is put into a hole in a gasket and flattened to the thickness of the gasket material. If the thickness of the grommet is too thick, the gasket material will start to extrude and distort the gasket once the CPD is exceeded. This concept is similar to designing with solid molded rubber. Since the rubber material is molded into a 100 % incompressible solid, it cannot change its volume, only its’ shape, like a gasket material which has achieved its’ Closest Packing Density. Having attained this state, it can only change shape by extrusion or otherwise changing the shape of the gasket resulting in distortion or change in dimension. Using the example of a solid rubber O-ring in a groove, the ring is compressed from its’ initial diameter to the depth of the groove. Since it cannot change its’ volume it must change shape. If the volume of the groove were smaller than the volume of the rubber, the gasket joint would never close or the rubber would extrude and rupture causing a leak. With O-ring groove designs, an excess of 25% of groove volume is recommended to allow for volume swell (due to fluid swell), thermal expansion, etc. In the case of the grommeted gasket, if the grommet is too thick, the material under the grommet must either extrude or it will prevent the metal flanges of the joint to make contact and seal the main body of the gasket.

By Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies


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Commit tee updates

Programs & LocationsCommitteeGary Guzek

Communications CommitteePetra Schaefer

The Communications Committee met during the Fall Meeting in Seattle, Washington this past September. As always, attendees were asked how to continuously improve communications for the GFA. The top priority is messages and delivery for the Plant Manager meeting to be held in Tampa next spring. Look for notices regarding planning for having plant managers out of their facilities to attend the training in Tampa. Communications will work with the Plant Manager Program task force to coordinate messages and delivery.

The Communications Committee also reviewed and selected a design for the next GFA brochure, which will be presented at the Spring Meeting. Last, the Committee considered the development of a social media strategy for GFA. The GFA will not develop an app for the next meeting, but rather focus efforts on web site updates.

Thank you to everyone who contributed thoughtful ideas and suggestions in the last meeting. Our goal is to communicate the outstanding value of the GFA to organizations and the energy of our last meeting truly enables that work. We look forward to continuing the discussion in Tampa!

With a successful meeting in Seattle behind us, the GFA is now looking forward to a new endeavor at the spring 2019 meeting – the launching of a program geared to plant management. Our next meeting, which will run from March 12th through the 14th at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa FL, will focus on topics tailored to plant managers, engineers and production personnel. The keynote presentation will be given by Bruce Hamilton, President of the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership. Bruce will present "Everybody Everyday, Creating a True Improvement Culture," a talk on the key characteristics of why manufacturers profit from lean transformation. Bruce has over 35 years of experience as a manufacturing executive,

consultant, and student of Lean. The program will also include educational sessions on Theory of Constraints, Implementing Continuous Improvement, and Health & Safety in a factory environment. There will also be roundtable discussions where plant managers will have a chance to discuss relevant topics with their peers in the gasketing industry. And of course, we’ll have a supplier expo and plenty of opportunities to network and connect. Pete and his team will be sending out more detailed information about the event as we get closer. After a long winter, it’ll be nice to get to Tampa for some warmth and come away with some very useful information.

Our fall 2019 meeting will be at the Lansdowne Resort and Spa in Leesburg, Virginia from September 24th through the 26th. The resort sits along the Potomac River between Washington D.C. and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It has three signature golf courses and is surrounded by quaint towns and Virginia’s wine country. Less than an hour from Washington and close to Dulles International Airport, it is an easy destination. The meeting will feature our guest speaker, Mike Pierce, aka Antarctic Mike, who will deliver his presentation “Leading at 90 Below Zero – Finding, engaging and keeping great people.” He has appeared on all the major television networks and his story has been featured in publications ranging from Sports Illustrated to the New York Times. Mike will keep you riveted with his stories of expeditions to Antarctica and showcase proven principles of leadership. Check out his website at www.antarcticmike.com.

This meeting will also mark the 40th anniversary of the GFA. The meeting will have some special events to celebrate the occasion. Past Presidents and Life Members are invited to attend. A meeting you won’t want to miss!

The spring 2020 meeting will be our biennial Gasketing and Converting Expo at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, Florida. It will be held from May 18th through May 20th. It is the GFA’s signature event where the industry gathers.

Last but not least, this is my final Programs and Locations Committee update with my term as Chair expiring. I want to thank the board for letting me serve as chair. Carl Stober is taking over as Chair and I know he’ll do a great job. He has been invaluable to the committee with his input on speakers and content. I also want to thank all the members who contributed to the success of the meetings over the last few years. The input I received helped produce great meetings at outstanding venues. If you come and participate in any committee meeting, it makes the GFA a better and stronger organization, so please get involved.


Upcoming Industry EventsFoam Expo North America

March 26-28, 2019Suburban Collection Showplace

Novi, MI

Odyssey ExpoMay 1-3, 2019

Cobb Galleria CentreAtlanta, GA

The Battery ShowSeptember 10-12, 2019

Suburban Collection ShowplaceNovi, MI

ISD Industry SummitOctober 6, 2019

Austin, TX

Membership CommitteeJudette Savino

Technical CommitteeAleks Lebar

Our efforts in Membership are consistently focused on attracting and retaining GFA membership as “new blood” keeps the industry and our organization healthy, growing, and moving forward. Since our Spring Meeting, we approved four new regular members and one new associate member (welcome aboard!!). We were hoping to keep a steady stream of new members throughout the year but came up a bit short as we also lost three members along the way. Clearly, we have to Reevaluate and Recharge (a.k.a. Evaluate and Energize). Here’s how we are going to apply these points:

• Evaluate – This is applying primarily to lost members. Look back at the previous three years and determine why we lost the organization. From that, perhaps we can address the issues and reduce the attrition going forward. • Energize – Using the “if you see it, you will join” approach, we believe that once the benefits of GFA are seen and experienced firsthand, new memberships will increase. This is an ongoing effort and we are considering all avenues (suggestions welcomed) for local and regional events. We have set a goal for overall GFA membership: 220 in 2020. I am confident we will get there.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Membership meeting and our Task Force. See you in Tampa!

At the GFA’s Fall 2018 Meeting in Seattle, Paul Smith from American Biltrite was announced as the vice chair for the committee. It is still the goal of the committee to complete the updates to the technical handbook by the end of 2018. UL and restricted substances (REACH, RoHS, Prop-65 etc) were introduced as topics for future webinars based on recently conducted survey results indicating members had the most interest in these two topics; each webinar would be targeted for spring 2019 completion. Attendees were also interested in past webinar attendance figures and how the committee can promote/market upcoming webinars more effectively to increase attendance. A few articles are pending, including Liner Selection (Thomas Aymoz) and Different Geographies of Tape (Rebecca Blose); each article is desired for submission in the spring issue.

Finally, the committee is seeking volunteers to function as permanent members who will be in attendance at all meetings and will actively participate in carrying out the committee’s agenda. Interested parties should contact Paul or me for more information.


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MD/CMD/Z-STRENGTH

Advertise in the Gasket Fabricator!Advertising in The Gasket Fabricator is open to GFA members at a cost of $50 per issue. Exhibitors at each Supplier Expo receive a free ad in the following

issue. Ads are 3.5” wide x 2” high, and can be submitted electronically as an .eps or .pdf file to [email protected]. For more information regarding

advertising, please contact the GFA office at 610-971-4850.

These are common abbreviations for tensile strength properties of most materials used for gaskets. Ideally, the tensile strengths in the X and Y directions of any sheet of material should be the same. In most cases, however, they are not the same. MD means the tensile strength in the machine direction. Paper, in particular, is supposed to be random in its fiber orientation, however, it is run in a continuous process which allows the fibers in the mix to orient themselves, in varying degrees in the direction of machine travel. CMD means the tensile strength in the cross-machine direction. If there are any differences between the tensile values between the MD and CMD tensile values it is usually due to this orientation of fibers. This can easily be seen when tearing a piece of paper. It will easily tear in a straight line if torn parallel to the machine direction. Tearing at right angles to the MD, the tear will not be anywhere near straight.

Z-STRENGTH is the internal strength of the material. Suppose that the flat surfaces were glued to plates and then these plates pulled apart. Failure should occur within the material itself (cohesive failure). It is the value of the stress required to fail the material internally. This property manifests itself whenever the gasket material adheres to any flange surface upon removal, leaving material which will require additional removal. In most instances, the use of anti-stick coatings or material with higher Z-Strength will reduce the sticking problem. One material which has relatively poor Z-Strength is expanded graphite.

By Larry Pyle, LFP Technologies


Benchmarking Report

Below are the results from the Benchmarking Survey, which was completed to give GFA members a thumbnail sketch of how other members are fairing at this time, The following results were recorded from October 10, 2018 - October 31, 2018.

We had 22 out of 107 Fabricators respond.

1. Were sales for the third quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the second quarter of 2018?

2. Were sales for the third quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the third quarter of 2017?

3. Is your projection for the fourth quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the third quarter of 2018?

4. Is your projection for the fourth quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the fourth quarter of 2017?

Benchmarking Report: Fabricators

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dec 15(38/97)

Mar16(48/99)

Aug16(27/99)

Dec16(42/102)

Mar17(27/107)

Aug17(50/103)

Dec17(30/104)

Mar18(35/106)

Aug18(23/108)

Dec18(22/107)

1. Fabricators - Most Recent Quarter Sales Compared to Previous Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

0%

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Dec 15(38/97)

Mar16(48/99)

Aug16(27/99)

Dec16(42/102)

Mar17(27/107)

Aug17(50/103)

Dec17(30/104)

Mar18(35/106)

Aug18(23/108)

Dec18(22/107)

4. Fabrictors - Current Quarter Sales Projections Compared to Same Quarter Last Year

UP DOWN SAME

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Dec 15(38/97)

Mar16(48/99)

Aug16(27/99)

Dec16(42/102)

Mar17(27/107)

Aug17(50/103)

Dec17(30/104)

Mar18(35/106)

Aug18(23/108)

Dec18(22/107)

3. Fabrictors - Current Quarter Sales Projections Compared to Last Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

0%

20%

40%

60%

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Dec 15(38/97)

Mar16(48/99)

Aug16(27/99)

Dec16(42/102)

Mar17(27/107)

Aug17(50/103)

Dec17(30/104)

Mar18(35/106)

Aug18(23/108)

Dec18(22/107)

2. Fabricators - Most Recent Quarter Sales Compared to Same Quarter Last Year

UP DOWN SAME

Up Down Same77% (17) 14% (03) 09% (02)

Up Down Same77% (17) 14% (03) 09% (02)

Up Down Same46% (10) 27% (06) 27% (06)

Up Down Same68% (15) 09% (02) 23% (05)


Below are the results from the Benchmarking Survey, which was completed to give GFA members a thumbnail sketch of how other members are fairing at this time, The following results were recorded from October 10, 2018 - October 31, 2018.

We had 24 out of 101 Suppliers respond.

1. Were sales for the third quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the second quarter of 2018?

2. Were sales for the third quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the third quarter of 2017?

3. Is your projection for the fourth quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the third quarter of 2018?

4. Is your projection for the fourth quarter of 2018 UP, DOWN, or the SAME compared to the fourth quarter of 2017?

Benchmarking Report: Suppliers

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dec15(36/90)

Mar16(31/90)

Aug16(24/90)

Dec16(44/102)

Mar17(25/102)

Aug17(37/104)

Dec17(39/107)

Mar18(32/103)

Aug18(20/105)

Dec18(24/101)

1. Suppliers - Most Recent Quarter Sales Compared to Previous Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

0%

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40%

60%

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100%

Dec15(36/90)

Mar16(31/90)

Aug16(24/90)

Dec16(44/102)

Mar17(25/102)

Aug17(37/104)

Dec17(39/107)

Mar18(32/103)

Aug18(20/105)

Dec18(24/101)

4. Suppliers - Current Quarter Sales Projections Compared to Same Quarter Last Year

UP DOWN SAME

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dec15(36/90)

Mar16(31/90)

Aug16(24/90)

Dec16(44/102)

Mar17(25/102)

Aug17(37/104)

Dec17(39/107)

Mar18(32/103)

Aug18(20/105)

Dec18(24/101)

3. Suppliers - Current Quarter Sales Projections Compared to Last Quarter

UP DOWN SAME

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dec15(36/90)

Mar16(31/90)

Aug16(24/90)

Dec16(44/102)

Mar17(25/102)

Aug17(37/104)

Dec17(39/107)

Mar18(32/103)

Aug18(20/105)

Dec18(24/101)

2. Suppliers - Most Recent Quarter Sales Compared to Same Quarter Last Year

UP DOWN SAME

Up Down Same79% (19) 04% (01) 17% (04)

Up Down Same75% (18) 00% (00) 25% (06)

Up Down Same46% (11) 04% (01) 50% (12)

Up Down Same71% (17) 04% (01) 25% (06)

The Gasket Fabricator The Gasket Fabricator is published by the GFA and is distributed to all members and prospective members.

President .............................................................Shelby Ricketts Vice President .......................................................David SolidaySecretary/Treasurer.............................................Chuck Keeley Communications Committee Chair.............Petra Schaefer Long Range Planning Committee Chair.............Ken Stober Membership Committee Chair................. ...Judette Savino Program & Locations Committee Chair.............Carl Stober Technical Committee Chair............................Aleks Lebar Executive Director....................................................Peter LanceAdministrative Director..............................James Wolfington

Members are encouraged to contribute articles and items of interest to [email protected].

The Gasket Fabricator newsletter is a copyrighted publication of the Gasket Fabricators Association (GFA) and any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. The reproduction, transfer, or distribution of part or all of the contents in any form without prior written permission of the GFA is strictly prohibited. The articles and content appearing in this publication are provided for general information purposes only and are not intended to constitute advice. No claim is made as to the accuracy or authenticity of the newsletter content and the GFA specifically disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions, losses, damages, or results of any actions based upon the information contained in the newsletter. The articles and content appearing in the publication represent the views of the authors and not

necessarily those of the GFA.

© 2019 Gasket Fabricators Association. All rights reserved.

Precision & Toughness;Engineered into every punch.

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