Plastics

 

Advanced Seals & Gaskets Ltd work with a number of manufacturers and suppliers, therefore able to offer an array of non-metallic materials including a diverse range of plastics.  Each plastic type is manufactured in various sheet sizes and thicknesses as standard, however as we carry out all our conversion on-site, we can cut these down to smaller sheets or other usable products upon request.  Many of the plastic materials and products supplied by ASG  can be supplied either plain or laminated with one of our many self-adhesives, foils or with other materials to create composite sheets.

 

What is Plastic?

Plastics are often used to manufacture a range of washers, gaskets and seals as they’re lightweight and one of the preferred alternatives to metal due to their durability and resistance to corrosion, they also come in different grades with a range of qualities for example impact strength, heat and chemical resistance, etc.   Customers can take plastic in the form of finished cut parts, but often prefer to take materials in sheet form as they have the flexibility to cut their own strips, gaskets, washers, etc out as and when they are required in the desired quantity.  

 

Why use Plastic?

Plastic materials are available in a variety of grades and have a number of properties meaning they can be used as a solution in a number of applications including sealing against fuel, oil and water, gaskets in machinery where exposed to water and gaskets where there is exposure to corrosive fluids. Industries that utilize plastic include packaging, oil & gas and petrochemical processing, some plastics can also be used to produce components for use as electrical insulation – providing the material has dielectric strength.

 

Types of Plastic

Advanced Seals & Gaskets work with a multitude of material manufacturers and suppliers, giving our customers more choice of plastic sheeting – our most popular materials being:

• PTFE
• Polycarbonate
• Polypropylene
• HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene)
• PVC
• ABS
• Polyester 
• Acetal
• Acrylic
• Nylatron

 

Benefits of Using Plastic

Using plastic materials and products converted from them offer a whole host of benefits, not only are they cheaper and lighter in weight in comparison to metal and some sponge options, but also offer more resistance to wear, abrasion and corrosion (will not rust unlike metal gaskets). 

Despite being a fairly rigid material, plastic can still be compressed to create a tight seal and as well as being great for insulation applications as it does not conduct heat or electricity.  For more information on how plastic can help with your application, please give our sales team a call.