Profiled Seal with Perforated Fixing Strip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seal technologies face challenges in economically producing and customizing seals for large-format systems, particularly in medium to high quantities, due to high tooling costs, material waste, and limited flexibility in design, which affects their ability to seal complex geometries and compensate for tolerances, leading to issues with sealing effectiveness and durability.
Innovation Solution
A profiled seal made from an extruded profile strand with separate sealing and fixing areas, allowing for perforations in the fixing area to facilitate bending and attachment, while maintaining the sealing area's integrity, enabling the seal to follow complex curves and surfaces without additional components, and incorporating features like friction-reducing treatments for dynamic applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If profile seals are manufactured using specially manufactured tools and large-format presses, then sealing performance and profile customization are improved, but production cost and tooling investment increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters by using standard presses instead of specialized large-format presses, and by modifying the seal structure to include integrated fixing elements that can be attached after extrusion. This allows production using conventional equipment while maintaining sealing performance through the profiled design and fixing mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If profile seals are made with a fixed cross-sectional profile, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability to different geometries and curve radii deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the seal into a profiled sealing portion and separate fixing elements. The fixing elements can be independently positioned and attached at different locations and orientations, allowing the seal to adapt to various geometries and curve radii while the profiled portion maintains a standardized cross-section for simple manufacturing.
3Reliability
If profile seals are attached using additional fixing elements, then attachment reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fixing function with the seal structure by providing fixing elements that are integrated with or directly attached to the profiled seal. This combination approach ensures reliable attachment while reducing overall structural complexity compared to using completely separate fixing components.
4Adaptability or versatility
If flat gaskets are manufactured from mats or plate material, then production flexibility for small quantities is improved, but material waste increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses extruded profile strands as a template or copy of the desired seal shape. The profiled cross-section is extruded continuously and then cut to length, creating seals that match the required geometry precisely. This eliminates the need to cut and waste excess material from flat sheets, while maintaining production flexibility through standard extrusion processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for efficient, flexible, and cost-effective production of seals that can adapt to various dimensions and geometries, ensuring reliable sealing, tolerance compensation, and durability, even in dynamic applications, while reducing material waste and tooling costs.
Implementation Method 1
Profile seals allow optimal mechanical design with regard to pressure or setting behavior. This makes it possible, for example, to reduce the distance between fastening screws without having to expect mechanical tension between two components.
Data Source
AI summary
The seal comprises base (1) having extruded profile section, sealing portion and fixing portion having perforations that are arranged, such that sealing portion is profiled and the fixing portion is formed as a planar strip. The base is designed integrally without corner joints. The fixing portion is partially provided with perforations formed with round or rounded tips as cuts and/or perforations, such that sealing region is partly curved.