Leading Viton Gasket Manufacturers

What are Viton Gaskets?

Viton gaskets are produced from high-performance fluoroelastomers with excellent heat resistance.

Fluoroelastomers are synthetic rubber compounds with a fluorine content greater than 66 percent and chemical and heat resistance.

Viton was first introduced in 1957 as a material for use in the aircraft industry. These rubber gaskets can withstand temperatures ranging from 15 °F to 400 °F (-9.4 °C to 204.4 °C) and are ideal for applications that occasionally reach 500°F (260 °C).

How Viton Gaskets are Made

Viton gaskets are made using the die-cutting method or the waterjet cutting method.

Waterjet Cutting of Viton Gaskets

Waterjet cutting is an accelerated erosion process. A ruby or diamond nozzle fires highly pressurized water into a mixing chamber. This pressure creates a vacuum, which draws garnet sand into the stream, where it is shot towards the material to be cut.

Sand particles eat away at the material, causing erosion to occur at such a high rate that it is referred to as cutting. The Viton gasket material is cut into the desired design and shape using the pressurized cutting tool.

Die-Cutting of Viton Gasket

Die-cutting is a fabrication technique that involves cutting, shaping, and shearing stock material with specialized machinery and tools. Die cuts are used to make unique label shapes and designs. It all starts with a component known as a die.

A produced die is a metal tooling used to cut a certain form from a material. The Viton gasket material can be shaped and designed into the required outcome using the die as the cutting tool.

A die is a metal form with a sharp cutting edge pressed into a chosen card or fabric by the die-cutting machine, similar to a cookie cutter. Dies may be used repeatedly to create the same shape, each with the same dimensions, giving the creation an incredibly professional finish.

Types of Viton Gaskets

Viton polymers are divided into five groups. Viton is classified as Category A (Dipolymers of VF2/HFP) and is used for general-purpose sealing in the automotive and aerospace industries.

The chemical industry and power utility seals and gaskets usually use Category B (Terpolymers of VF2/HFP/TFE).

Category F Viton (Terpolymers of VF2/HFP/TFE) is designed for inorganic acid, water, and steam applications.

TBR Viton (TFE/Propylene) is suitable for automotive applications where pH management is critical.

Category ETP (TFE/Propylene and Ethylene/TFE/PMVE copolymers) is employed in extreme situations like oil exploration and production.

While Viton was the first fluoroelastomer, other firms such as Solvay-Solexis and 3M, which offer Tecnoflon and Dyneon, have created and continue to develop similar materials. Each patented variation has the potential to be a good gasket material.

Applications of Viton Gaskets

• Viton was first employed in the aerospace industry due to its fuel resistance and low burning qualities. Viton gaskets are now widely used in the automotive, fluid power, appliance, and chemical industries. Viton's use in the food processing and pharmaceutical industries has expanded since FDA-approved grades were introduced.
• Viton gaskets are recommended for severe, high-temperature settings that commonly use lubricating and fuel oils, hydraulic oil, gasoline, kerosene, vegetable oils, alcohols, and diluted acids. Heat and intake manifold gaskets, siphon and gasoline hoses, and quick-connect O-rings are all examples of sealing applications. Fuel seals, T-seals, cap seals, and radial lip seals in pumps also employ Viton.

Viton is designed to perform consistently at high temperatures. It can withstand temperatures of up to 392 °F (200 °C) without degrading, and its resistance to chemical-induced corrosion makes it excellent for use in gasoline lines and other hoses and tubes used for chemical transmission.

As engineers became aware of these properties, Viton's use spread outside the aerospace industry to include chemical processing, diving equipment, and medical device engineering.

Viton has been used to fabricate fuel lines, O-rings, bushings, and gaskets in the automobile industry, where it has found the most uses. Viton works effectively as an automobile component because of its compatibility with hydrocarbons.

However, Viton and other fluoroelastomers don't come without flaws. For example, the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986 proved its poor performance in freezing temperatures when a fuel system O-ring broke, leading the spacecraft to explode shortly after departure.

Because Viton and other fluoroelastomers are used in many industries, and because their functioning can affect end-user safety, gaskets, O-rings, and other Viton products are carefully classed and regulated.

Choosing the Proper Viton® Gasket Supplier

To ensure you have the most beneficial outcome when purchasing Viton® gaskets from a Viton® gasket supplier, it is important to compare several companies using our directory of Viton® gasket suppliers. Each Viton® gasket supplier has a business profile page highlighting their areas of experience and capabilities, along with a contact form to directly communicate with the supplier for more information or request a quote. Review each Viton® gasket business website using our proprietary website previewer to quickly learn what each company specializes in. Then, use our simple RFQ form to contact multiple Viton® gasket businesses with the same form.