Zatkoff Seals & Packings Honored a Sixth Time for Exceptional Service
Zatkoff Seals and Packings is pleased and proud to announce that we have received the prestigious Supplier Excellence Award from diversified industrial manufacturer, Eaton Corporation.
Considering the strict set of qualifications for this award, we are especially honored that our company was chosen. Eaton awards this title only to suppliers who bring added value to their company in areas such as increased factory productivity, cost and inventory management (as with our Zap>It inventory system), value engineering, increased capacity for rapid growth and shorter lead-times, energy reduction, expanded global presence and of course, something very important to us here at Zatkoff—customer service!
“It is an honor to recognize such a significant group of suppliers for their commitment to excellence and service. The Supplier Excellence awards are reserved for Eaton’s best suppliers across the enterprise,” said Rogerio Branco, Eaton senior vice president, Supply Chain Management. “We appreciate each of our suppliers for their efforts in establishing Eaton as a leading global power management company and look forward to their continuing contributions in the years ahead.”
Out of all of their many world-wide suppliers, we were especially honored among only 10 companies chosen for this award. As always, we have worked closely with Eaton to create the highest quality experience possible, and to meet and exceed their expectations. We want to thank Eaton for this very special award, and we look forward to bringing new innovations, and business expanding technologies to them, and all of our customers for years to come.
Join us for July Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Zatkoff Seals & Packings is participating in a national initiative to reduce distracted driving. Distracted driving due to cell phones is responsible for more than a million car crashes per year, and we are taking on the challenge to completely eliminate cell phone use in the car for the month of July. Wellness and safety is one of our top priorities at Zatkoff, and we want to invite all of our families, friends, customers and suppliers to participate in the challenge!
Drivers who use cell phones experience cognitive distractions, driving performance problems, and of course incur this increased crash risk. To help spread awareness, we invite you to consider changing your outgoing mobile voice mail message to include the words, “I am either away from my phone or driving, and for safety reasons, I don’t use my phone while driving.” We also encourage you to add an auto response to your text messages that says the same.
At Zatkoff we believe in being a part of the global community, and as such, the safety of all people is of our utmost concern. Join us for the month of July, and get into the habit of a safe, cell phone free drive.
Gasket Emission Comparative Analysis Report for Zatkoff Seals & Packings
For Zatkoff Gasket Manufacturing Division, following environmentally sustainable practices is not only the right thing to do for the future - it has become a business imperative - part of the “triple bottom line”, comprising of profits, environmental and social requirements. In fact, sustainable business practices can provide tangible opportunities and benefits for manufacturers. Often, the impact that products have on the environmental are not unearthed until one examines the life cycle of a product. ISO and PAS standards (carbon foot printing) have been developed to facilitate the process of evaluating the impacts that a product has on the environment over its entire life, thereby encouraging the efficient use of resources.
Zatkoff Seals and Packings and its customers, owners, employees, and stakeholders possess a shared interest in the environment with particular focus on mitigating climate change through the reduction of product-related embodied energy and associated greenhouse gas emissions. As such, Zatkoff Seals and Packings commissioned APB & Associates, a supply chain management consulting firm to assess the environmental impacts of a Synthetic Fiber and Nitrile Butadiene (SFNB) compressed sheet gasket which Zatkoff uses to manufacturer gaskets. The assessment (based on ISO standards) will examine key stages of greenhouse gas emission generation in the gasket life cycle—including raw materials processing and transportation, gasket material production/fabrication and transportation to consumer centers.
The study investigates the hypothesis that a gasket with a similar designed purpose produced by the Beater-Addition manufacturing process (the Rubber-Edged Composite (REC) gasket) has significantly greater environmental impact compared to the SFNB gasket. This study compares the manufacturing phases of the two gaskets, rather than simply the absolute carbon emissions associated with each gasket. It is important to note that the gasket materials are produced by two very different manufacturing processes, the Beater-Addition process, and the SFNB calendering manufacturing process. The models used were designed specifically for calculating energy emissions in each stage of the gaskets supply chain.
Sustainability
Product and Process Description:
Applications with a multi-layer design, a reinforced high density core and conformable sealing layers on each side.
Both gaskets are designed for the automotive industry and are required to join metal surfaces to prevent multiple liquids (i.e. coolant, lubricant, hot air or steam) from escaping. The synthetic fiber and nitrile butadiene gasket is designed to meet the difficult sealing applications with a multi-layer design with a reinforced high density core with conformable sealing layers on each side.
This specific SFNB compression sheet gasket material utilizes a cutting edge calender compression process that reduces manufacturing energy requirements, while producing gaskets that meet all industry standards, without compromising project requirements or budgets.
The rubber-edged composite (REC) uses compressible, non-rigid composite bases in combination with rubber sealing edges. The REC is core material is produced from the Beater-Addition process, a process that origins began in the 17th century. A water based process where the elastomer (binder) is chemically deposited onto wood pulp fibers and fillers.
Manufacturing – Fabrication Emissions:
This section explores gasket manufacturing lifecycle stage of both process by comparing energy use and related carbon dioxide emissions in supply chains for REC and the SFNB. The analysis tracks the energy used at each step in the manufacturing process. It includes energy used in the manufacturing facilities, but does not include energy consumed in making chemicals, fillers or other inputs. Previous studies find that the major component of carbon dioxide emissions in the gasket lifecycle is found in the production with the use of process steam (heat) and electricity in gasket manufacturing. Thus, this study focuses on carbon dioxide emitted from the fossil fuels and electricity consumed in the manufacturing process and the potential environmental impact of the processes.
For purposes of assessing energy use and related carbon dioxide emissions, the supply chain can be divided into two primary supply processes, the gasket manufacturing and fabricating. The diagram on the right shows the major equipment used in the process and major uses of energy for manufacturing the product.
As far as energy consumption goes, the SFNB gasket production process requires an energy expenditure of 1,815.57 kWh, while the REC gasket production requires 2,596.02 kWh. Much of this energy difference can be attributed to the large variances in the production processes. The REC gasket requires the use and removal of water. The energy consumption is significantly higher, and the potential environmental impact is far greater due to the generation of wastewater that must be cleaned up and disposed of later. While potential solvent releasing into the air is a consideration for the SFNB gaskets, the waste management procedures during the production of these materials are far more trivial than those for the REC gaskets, as long as proper solvent collection and recycling procedures are present.
Results:
The SFBN gasket emission carbon footprint from embedded energy in manufacturing is over 30% lower than the carbon footprint for the REC gasket, which has a total energy use of 1.918 ton co2e vs. 1.334 ton co2e for the SFBN gasket.
Conclusion:
This study reveals that not all gaskets are created equally. The manufacturing process for gasket production matters a great deal for the environment. The Beater-Addition process produces a larger GHG footprint, primarily from energy used in the production process of gaskets. This study concludes that the SFNB gasket offers significant environmental benefits (over 30% emission savings and reduced environmental impacts around water and forestry), when compared to the REC gasket.
The Compression Process appears to have a lower GHG or energy consumption in all the areas in the product life cycle. More research is needed to understand the total emission related to each gasket’s supply chain production and consumption to further our knowledge of the effect on the full “carbon footprint” of the two processes and their overall environmental burden. For all indication the emission gap advantage for the SFNB gasket will only widen.
“Forward thinking companies like Zatkoff Seals and Packings that adapt positively to the sustainable business agenda will be at the forefront of resource productivity, reducing waste and stress on the environment. Zatkoff Seals and Packings and their management teams are making things happen ahead of their competitors.”
- James Morrow, Managing Partner, APB & Associates, Inc. www.apbandassociates.com
Technology
PORON® AQUAPRO™ FAMILY: FORMULATIONS 37 & 41
Rogers Corporation continuously innovates and expands offerings of PORON® microcellular polyurethane foams to meet customers’ dynamic design needs. The newest addition to the Rogers line of high --performance foam products, the AquaPro™ family provides enhancedwater sealing solutions from “soft” (41) to “very soft” (37). Theversatile range of materials ensures that design engineers never haveto settle when a high performing water seal is required.
PORON AQUAPRO FAMILY
- The AquaPro family provides enhanced protection from water ingress due to its water sealing capability and long term performance. The new AquaPro 37 formulation requires the lowest compression force of any PORON water sealing formulation in achieving a tight seal.
- Resistance to stress relaxation and compression set
- Durable, long- term performance needed to maintain a seal
- Broad temperature range
- Performs reliably between -40°C and 90°C for constant use and up to 120°C for intermittent use
- Chemical resistance
- Survives exposure to a wide range of common automotive fluids
- Flame retardant
- Meets flammability requirements of UL 94 HBF and FMVSS 302
- Low Outgassing
- No plasticizers to migrate, non corrosive to metaland environmentally safe
- Backed by Rogers Corporation
- 180 years of experience developing innovative material solutions
NOTE: Please refer to the Formulation 37 & 41 Data Sheets for UL certifications.
DURABLE PERFORMANCE. DIVERSE APPLICATIONS.
PORON AquaPro material provides better sealing for a wide variety of applications, even in less-than-ideal conditions.
- Roof Mounted Antenna
- HVAC Seals
- Headlights / Tail Lights
- Electrical Enclosures
INTRODUCING A NEW HYDROPHOBIC TECHNOLOGY
With AquaPro 37 polyurethane you don’t have to choose between good water sealing and long-term performance. AquaPro 37 material is a softer, better sealing material for long-lasting protection of sensitive electronics and enclosed devices.
Two important factorsdetermine the optimal grade and thickness for a water sealing application:
1. COMPRESSIBILITY
Compression Force Deflection (CFD) curves represent the amount of force needed to compress the foam a percentage of the total thickness. During installation, it is important to take CFD into consideration, as the substrate can deflect or damage if the foam is too firm or compressed too much. The PORON AquaPro products range in compression force deflection values from soft (41) to very soft (37) making the material selection process easier.
2. SEALING EFFECTIVENESS
A. WATER IMPERMEABILITY
A U-shaped gasket is compressed 30% with vacuum grease on both sides. After conditioning at 70°C for 22 hours, water is added and the fixtures are observed for leakage.
B. INGRESS PROTECTION
IEC 60529 Classification of Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures provides a system for specifying the enclosures of electrical equipment on the basis of protection from water and particulates provided by the enclosure. The IEC publication defines Ingress Protection with the following nomenclature: IPX7 (X - Ingress against Solid Foreign Objects, 7 - Ingress of Liquids)
Rogers performs a test that is similar to IPX7, a stringent enclosure requirement in the IP rating system required for the most demanding applications. A circular gasket with adhesive on both sides is compressed to varying levels and immersed in one meter of water for 30 minutes. The PORON® AquaPro™ family is critical to achieving the desired IP rating.
C. ASTM F37
This standard test for gasket materials helps determine sealing performance by measuring water leakage rate. Gaskets are compressed between two flat surfaces while pressurized water is forced from the center through the cross-section of the gasket at various compression levels.