Air Cushion Seals being Automated

SEVEN ARMS: Several robots are used on the assembly line to largely automate production.

High degree of automation and painstaking quality control

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) is launching the series production of the new mechanical face seal at its plant in Pinerolo, Italy, in 2018. One goal in the production of Levitex is to achieve the greatest possible degree of automation. In 2016, FST began manufacturing Levitex in a prototype facility. The production process consists of a total of seven stations and contains multiple quality checks. This is imperative since the composition of the materials must be exactly right and the later form must be precisely adhered to. That’s why laser sensors monitor the process after each station, a white light interferometer checks the ring surface, and the leak tightness of the ring is measured at the end.

MEASURING AND TESTING: A number of quality checks are built into the process to preclude errors in the many work steps.

The number allows conclusions to be drawn about individual product characteristics, including geometry, surface finish, production date and weight. With modular production, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies can also handle customers’ desires in an uncomplicated way. “The seal rings that we are now bringing to series readiness are equipped with an additional sensor that relays a position-sensing signal electrically to the engine control unit,” Scarano said. The antistatic area required for the production can be integrated into the modular manufacturing approach without difficulty.

Starting in 2018, Levitex seals are due to be deployed in a European automaker’s new engine generation. They will make a contribution to a reduction in the vehicles’ fuel consumption and their carbon dioxide emissions – two characteristics of Levitex that are likely to interest other manufacturers as well.