Why Do Automotive Plastic Seals Need Low Friction Coatings?
How do low friction coatings for plastic seals provide benefits in the automotive industry? In a nutshell, they help assure low wear. What does that mean for the service life of a vehicle? A vehicle’s service life can significantly be extended or prolonged with the use of low friction coatings on automotive plastic seals.
In numerous applications, wear resistant plastic seals are used in an industry that mandates zero tolerance for failure and for lifetime service confidence. Some of these applications include automatic transmissions, fuel pumps, oil pumps, braking systems, and more.
To remain competitive, the automotive industry is continuously innovating. But at the same time, to meet strict environmental and safety regulations, they work simultaneously. As the industry evolves, however, quick adaptation of low friction plastic seals is necessary. To provide various benefits with improved testing and tooling techniques, as well as new, custom designs, the seals solve a vast array of issues.
Let’s check out low friction plastic seals’ key benefits. But first, let’s take a look at where plastic seals can be found.
Automotive Applications of Low Friction Coatings for Plastics Seals
Here’s where you’ll find some plastic seals where the automotive industry is concerned:
- AC compressor components for climate control
- Solenoid valve cup seals for emissions
- Air suspension cup seals for suspension
- DCT/CVT rings in transmissions
- EPS rings for steering
- Used to assist components in braking
- Oil pump components in engines
Now onto the benefits of low friction plastic seals.
Low Friction Coatings Enable the Adoption of Future Technology
As the automotive industry continuously develops more electric and hybrid technology, perfect in electric motors’ dry running parts are today’s low friction plastics. Unlike with metal seals, without surface treatments, minimum counterfaces are accommodated by polymers.
Space-Saving Properties
Having a thickness of mere millimeters, space-saving seal designs help provide optimal design possibilities. Even though the design is thin, speeds and pressures are easily accommodated. Conventional lip seals and radial shaft seals simply don’t work here.
A Design That Is Flexible
To suit OEM requirements, customization and modification can be accomplished through the use of low friction coatings on polymer seals.
Noncorrosive Materials
Plastic and polymer seals resist corrosive liquids. Oil and brake fluids are two of these.
Leakage Is Lessened
A tighter seal can be formed thanks to the rigid design of some plastic seals. So, to increase overall fuel efficiency, oil transmission pumps can be decreased in size by manufacturers courtesy of the lower leakage rate provided.
This also promotes automotive components that are more energy friendly.
Wear Is Reduced
Removing metal to metal issues, and providing a wear resistant, flexible solution, seals from high temperature thermoplastics are used.
Reduced Emissions and Lower Fuel Consumption
Extended performance is provided by weather resistant seals. This means that, for the entire lifetime of the transmission, the plastic part should last.
Need Low Friction Coatings for Your Plastic Seals?
At A&A Coatings, we coat numerous parts (including seals) for the automotive industry. But we serve practically every industry under the sun in some way, shape, or form.
Contact us today at A&A Coatings to find out how our applications, techniques, and expertise can be – and already is – of use in your industry and how they can all benefit your company.
