As you start to make a decision about what type of O-rings to purchase for your business, you might wonder what material is the most suitable for your unique needs. Every business operation has different requirements for their O-rings, such as the temperature, pressure and materials they must work with. By taking the time to learn about some of the best O-ring materials on the market and compare popular option such as nitrile vs Viton O rings, you can work to find a solution that’s ideal for you. Keep reading or learn more here about the various options on offer to you today.
What is Viton?
Let’s start our comparison of Viton vs nitrile by discovering what a Viton O ring is. Viton is the trade name for a type of fluorocarbon material that shows high resistance to temperatures, oxygen, ozone, synthetic hydraulic fluids, mineral oil and other chemicals you might use on a regular basis. One thing that is important to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t typically use this type of material in low temperature settings. We also don’t recommend it for applications that use organic acids, glycol and steam. However, it’s a great general-purpose material that many O ring suppliers UK stock and recommend for gas or oil applications.
What is Nitrile?
As we mentioned above when beginning our comparison of Viton vs nitrile O-rings, Viton is not a good option for use at low temperatures. On the other hand, nitrile is ideal for use at low temperatures but does have more limited resistance to chemicals. It has very good mechanical characters and can reduce wear and extrusion thanks to its high strength. You shouldn’t use this type of O-ring with strong acids, esters, ketones or complicated hydrocarbons, as you will find it is not effective for use in this way.
Avoiding O-Ring Failure by Selecting the Right Material
Now that you have a basic overview of these two materials, you might be wondering why it’s so important to choose the right option for your needs. There are usually multiple reasons for O-ring failure, but it’s important to choose the best material so that you avoid this in your daily operations. Selecting the right compound and installing the O-ring properly will help to minimize the risk of this issue. You’ll also want to make sure you educate your team about O-rings and ensure the team member responsible for purchasing these parts is educated in the type of material that is best for your operation.
So many people think they can simply switch over to a different material if another is out of stock, but this is something you should never risk doing. Not only could the O-ring fail, but you may also find that you end up in a situation where you cause damage to your other machines or end up delaying your work processes extensively. Taking short cuts in this area is never worth the risk, and if you think saving a little money on a purchase up front is a good idea, you’ll likely find that it backfires later on.
Correct Storage of Nitrile and Viton O-Rings
Another consideration once you’ve chosen between these two materials is how you are going to store your O-rings to avoid damage to the material. Correct storage will vary based on the material you choose, but you should try to avoid storage in high temperature settings. Avoiding ozone, radiation, sunlight and contamination is essential for great results when using either of these materials. The best way to store the actual O-rings is using polyethylene bags which should be stored in a large cardboard container or box. This will help to extend the life of the O-rings and save your business money in the long run.
Choosing the Correct O-Rings for Your Business
Depending on the type of business you run and the reason you need to purchase O-rings, you may find that one of these materials will be more suitable for your needs than others. We recommend writing a list of the most important properties of the material you select. This will help you to keep on top of your business operations and ensure that you don’t have delays or issues with your processes. Our team will be more than happy to guide you through the purchasing process and you can find more information on our website about the products and materials we stock.
Are you looking to purchase new O-rings for your company? Our team will be here to help you with choosing the right product for your unique needs. Make sure you take a look through our selection of products. We’ll be here to answer any questions you have about this topic, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.
