On the 10-year anniversary of its establishment in Milan, Ohio, Freudenberg Xpress has upped its game on behalf of customers through a growing investment in new process capabilities and the use of an exclusive, new high- performance polyurethane material.
Freudenberg Xpress is Freudenberg’s unique rapid service for replacement parts, prototypes and small production runs of seals and other components. In today’s aggressive economic environment, companies cannot afford extended downtime when an equipment seal needs to be replaced. Freudenberg Xpress provides high quality, custom engineered, cost effective replacement seals from original materials and profiles in as little as a day.
Now Freudenberg Xpress has the capability to very quickly produce complex seals that are more than five feet (1.8 m) in diameter thanks to the addition of a new CNC lathe machine dubbed the “lathe giant.” The lathe was installed by the organization in the spring and has already become the sophisticated new workhorse for Freudenberg Xpress. It is capable of producing very large, high quality, one-off seals in as little as 24 hours. 
Additionally, this lathe incorporates new milling functions which greatly expand the production capabilities of Freudenberg Xpress to manufacture seals with complex geometries and features, said Stefan Boeseneilers, Manager, Freudenberg Xpress, Americas. For example, the organization can now produce seals with complex geometries and features such as oval cuttings, holes on the seal circumference, hexagonal and rectangular shapes or virtually any other shape a customer needs thanks to the additional milling function of the machine.
“Our customers have been asking for this kind of advance capability, and we now provide it in an extremely timely and precise manner,” Boeseneilers said. “Thanks to this new lathe, we can easily accommodate seal variations and rapidly manufacture sophisticated, globally-certified sealing components for Xpress customers.”
New machining and milling capabilities are not the only changes taking place at Freudenberg Xpress. The organization produces its components out of some of the highest quality materials in the world and is now offering customers an exclusive, best-in-class, Freudenberg polyurethane, 94 AU 30000. This material was developed primarily to handle fluid power challenges such as more aggressive environments, higher temperatures and longer operating hours.
94 AU 30000 is more resistant to water and synthetic hydraulic fluids and withstands major temperature fluctuations better than other existing polyurethane materials. The material offers excellent performance
in heat and cold and can be used in mineral hydraulic fluids at temperatures ranging from -31°F (-35°C) up to 248°F (120°C).
Freudenberg’s new polyurethane also performs well under pressure, Boeseneilers added. In comparison tests with various extrusion gaps and pressures, seals made with this material show no appreciable signs of wear while conventional seals malfunction prematurely. Tear strength surpasses other polyurethanes and the material doubles extrusion stability thus avoiding damage caused by the peaks in pressure commonly experienced in heavy duty equipment.
“94 AU 30000 has multiple applications, and you can only get it from Freudenberg,” Boeseneilers said. “”Customers no longer need to buy many different materials to meet their sealing needs. We can meet their replacement and prototype needs quickly, precisely and with this world-class material. “
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies
www.fst.com
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