The Customer

Our client is a provider of seals and sealing solutions to the global fluid power industry worldwide. The end users require reliable, high performance sealing solutions for specific hydraulic and pneumatic applications in the automotive, aerospace, mechanical handling and cylinder manufacturing industries.  

The Challenge

After production, all of our clients' plastic sealing rings have to be cut open to form a slit with a specific profile for ease of use when fitting the seal to its applications.

As the current practice of manually loading, holding and handling the seal during the slitting process was too dangerous for employees to complete, the customer requested a semi-automatic, low-cost solution from Industrial Automation that would require minimal floor space and low maintenance.

The machine had to be capable of performing various cuts, both vertical and at various angles, as well as offset slit cutting and cutting away whole sections of the seal.

The Industrial Automation Solution

After assessing the project, Industrial Automation decided to design a cost-effective machine that would ensure operator safety whilst achieving the required throughput. The solution involves a flexible, yet highly accurate cutting blade motor design which allows the motor to be angled at 0º, 15º, 30º, 45º, 60º and 75º and pivot about the centre line of the shaft and cutter. The machine is flexible to cut the product at 45º offset to the centre line and also has the ability to remove a section of max. 30º from the seal.

Employee safety during the cutting process is guaranteed as the blade motor can only operate when all safety doors are closed.

By having a traverse bed that moves to a fixed position into the cutting blade, the machine performs a controlled, repeatable and steady cut and returns from the cutting area to the operator position ready for the finished seal to be removed and replaced by the next seal.

To be able to cater for future increases in demand, Industrial Automation have also offered various options for upgrading the current method of production to a fully automatic process.

The Benefits

The Industrial Automation Seal Slitting Machine offers reliable and repeatable cut quality whilst maintaining the highest health & safety standards. Its flexible tool design using interchangeable bespoke fixture plates allows for a broad range of product sizes (Ø 40mm - 400mm). The robust build and simple controls make it easy to use for the operator, with only minimal training required.

To find out more, please contact us or have a look at our product video:

Seal Slitting Machine Video (2MB)