PACIFIC RUBBER & PACKING · EST. 1979
Any seal, standard or custom.
Clean when you need it.
Forty-seven years of elastomer sourcing, engineering, and delivery — from a same-day O-ring to a custom bonded assembly. Over seventeen million parts in stock, in-house manufacturing and metrology, and ISO Class 7 cleanroom processing for the applications that demand it. Surface particulate burden measured, counted, verified.
17M+
O-RINGS IN STOCK
24hr
TYPICAL LEAD TIME
ISO 7
IN-HOUSE CLEANROOM
1979
FAMILY-OWNED SINCE
The particle you didn’t count is the one that triggers the investigation.
Your seals are not as clean as you think.
High purity process flows are significantly impacted by particulate smaller than 20µ, smaller than 10µ, than 5µ.
Visual inspection for surface defects and molding workmanship is limited to 2X magnification. Surface particulate smaller than 50µ is not visible at this magnification.
We control, count, and quantify particulate down to 1.3µ. What do we typically find? All kinds of culprits…
127,500
particles per cm² (≥1µm)
11
primary particle sources
20x
variability from the same bag
6
major risk modalities
It’s OK, my seals are already cleaned.
Really? If you can’t measure cleaning efficiency, you can’t manage it.
Most seals in high purity applications get a “factory wash” or “IPA wipe.” The assumptions start. How controlled is your process? We see particle load variability of over 20x from seals pulled from the same bag.
What kind of particles are on the surface of a seal?
Smaller than you can see
All kind of culprits
| Contaminant | Material Type | Size Range | Supply Chain Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Black | Amorphous carbon agglomerates | 0.01–100 μm | Compounding ingredient; surface liberation by wear/shear |
| Talcum Powder | Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂ (lamellar) | 1–20 μm | Compounding filler; mold dusting agent; anti-tack |
| Mold Release Oils | Silicone or fluorocarbon film | N/A (film) | External mold release agent; internal compound additive |
| Cryogenic Grit | Polycarbonate fragments | 5–50 μm | Deflashing media degradation; electrostatic adhesion |
| Loose Flash | Cured elastomer shards | 10–>500 μm | Deflashing process residual; trimming debris |
| Skin Squames | Desquamated epithelial tissue | 20–50 μm | Operator handling in non-controlled environments |
| Respiratory Salts | Protein/mineral crystals | 1–10 μm | Operator respiratory aerosol deposition |
| Human Sebum | Fatty acid/lipid film | N/A (film) | Direct contact transfer from operator hands |
| Textile Fibers | Cotton/polyester PPE debris | 50–>2000 μm | Garment shedding during handling and packaging |
| Cardboard Fibers | Cellulosic fragments | 30–500 μm | Packaging material shed into product contact zone |
| Floor Grit | Silica/mineral dust | 1–>100 μm | Ambient environmental deposition; packaging ingress |
A seal is designed to move in its groove – over pressure cycles, thermal swings. This movement exposes a much higher wetted surface area than most process engineer account for. Scrubbing and fluid entrainment cycle with pressure. Start up characterization doesn’t flush all the particulate at once. It moves from the seal, from the gland, over a period of time. Count how many seals are in your critical flow stack. Tens, hundreds, continuously contributing contamination over time. Explain some of those post-commissioning business interruption events you’ve been fighting?
Solution: Measure it before you can manage it.
We will show you how. You can do this yourself. Here’s exactly what it takes.
A rigorous seal contamination baseline evaluation is achievable with the right expertise, equipment, and time. Every step below is real work. We’re giving you the full picture — because understanding what’s involved is the only honest way to make the build-vs-buy decision.
