Schreiner ProTech Upgrades Quality Assurance for Pressure Compensation Seals
Innovative Airflow and Hydrophobicity Tests for Membranes
Schreiner ProTech is now expanding its extensive range of PCS quality inspections in the receiving department for raw materials for Pressure Compensation Seals (PCS). Specific materials will be subjected to a full-surface inspection of the entire membrane for the critical characteristics of hydrophobicity and airflow. This means that both water tightness and gas permeability will be subject to thorough testing. With these optimized and enhanced quality tests for Pressure Comprehensive Seals Schreiner ProTech ensures that customers in automotive and electronics industries will install PCS in their components that meet even the most exacting requirements.
Pressure compensation seals (PCS) have an important function in electronic components. They use a fine-pored membrane to compensate for pressure differences and ensure that neither water nor oil or fuel can enter the housing from the outside. Several million PCS units per year are shipped to renowned customers in the automotive and electronics industries. The products meet high, continually tested standards in terms of durability of adhesion, cleanliness, visual appearance, long-term stability and oleophobicity. All PCS products are randomly checked for water entry point, airflow, oleophobicity, material thickness, material cohesion, shape, clearances, dimensions and dispensability. In addition, one-hundred-percent camera inspections are performed to detect dirt, stains and cutting residues. “In recent months, we have further intensified our quality assurance tests regarding hydrophobicity and airflow. They now exceed the industry standard,” says Product Manager Adrian Marggraf.
Innovative Quality Test for Water-Repellent Properties
But what exactly does this involve? All incoming shipments of materials which are not inherently water-repellent are subjected to full surface hydrophobicity tests on arrival at the receiving department. The entire raw material is checked to confirm its water-repelling properties. Only after the presence of the hydrophobic coating has been verified, which means that the membrane is water-repellent, will the material be approved for processing. Adrian Marggraf explains: “Our technical experts developed this test themselves and optimized it in a complex process. As a result, it provides our customers with physical proof of quality.”
Airflow Test Documents the Required Gas Permeability
The centerpiece of any PCS is an air-permeable, fine-pored membrane which the customer then applies on top of a small aperture in the respective component. Gas permeability varies depending on the membrane type, the size of the free membrane surface and the membrane pore size. In the new airflow measurement developed by Schreiner ProTech, a measuring head scans the entire web of the raw material delivered. The results are provided in a detailed measurement log reflecting the airflow across the web, along with an analysis of whether or not the material meets the specified requirements. This ensures optimum air supply by the PCS products used in the customer’s application to achieve the desired pressure compensation in the component.
Marggraf sums up Schreiner ProTech’s approach: “By optimizing and expanding our quality inspections for Pressure Compensation Seals we ensure that the requirements for air permeability and hydrophobic properties specified are met across the entire width and length of the raw material web. This means that we inspect comprehensively every single Pressure Compensation Seal for our customers, which makes us stand out clearly from the competition.”
Quality and Environmental Protection
Schreiner Group operates according to internationally recognized quality standards of the automotive industry. Its integrated management system is certified according to ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949, ISO 14001, EMAS, OHSAS 18001, NASPO, TU4 and MasterCard®.