What is FKM?
Fluoroelastomer or FKM is a class of synthetic rubber designed to operate at very high temperatures. FKM offers outstanding levels of resistance to chemicals, heat and oil, while providing a service life in excess of 200°C.
In extreme application environments, where margins for error are narrow and the safety of personnel and machinery is often at risk, failure is simply not an option. These conditions demand fail-safe solutions and this is where FKM O-rings and gaskets excel, providing effective, reliable and durable sealing solutions that you can rely on time and time again.
The challenges of extreme conditions
Some application environments are more difficult than others. Oil and gas applications come to mind, where extreme temperatures and fuels are encountered on a daily basis. The aviation and motorsport industries (including F1) face similar hurdles, while the nuclear and chemical processing sectors face even greater hazards with the handling of volatile and hazardous materials that must be treated with the utmost care and attention.
One false move or component failure, however small, can be catastrophic.
Even down to a simple O-ring, as happened in the 1986 Challenger disaster, when NASA’s ill-fated Challenger orbiter exploded moments after launch. It was later learned that an O-ring, which formed the seal between the solid rocket booster sections and had lost its elasticity and sealing ability due to the unusually cold launch conditions, was the root cause of this tragic event.
High-performance FKM O-rings and gaskets
The point is that even the most seemingly innocuous parts, such as O-rings and gaskets, must be designed for a particular purpose. This is where Trelleborgs can offer you an advantage. Our meticulous processes, from design to full-scale production, leave no stone unturned to ensure that your gasket meets the highest standards. Our rigorous selection of materials, tests and prototypes guarantee a reliable solution.
No application environment is too extreme. Certainly not when it comes to our high-performance FFKM O-rings and gaskets. Perfluoroelastomers (FFKM) offer some of the most impressive levels of chemical and thermal resistance of all commercial elastomers on the market today. This means that our experts can select a FFKM gasket material that offers optimum sealing performance, no matter how demanding the conditions of your application.
Why choose an FKM gasket material?
What makes FKM sealing materials so special?
Perfluoroelastomers, an elastomeric form of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are known for their chemical and thermal resistance due to their super-strong carbon-fluorine bonds. Fluorination further maximizes their chemical resistance and their R-O-R ether group gives them elasticity. Trelleborg develops FKM grades that resist more than 1,800 chemicals and perform well over a wide temperature range. These materials allow the manufacture of highly resistant O-rings and FFKM seals. They are manufactured under strict process controls and with full traceability, ensuring the best quality. Trelleborg Sealing Solutions offers the Isolast® PureFab™ range of perfluoroelastomers for critical applications in the semiconductor industry, improving yield, reducing defects, reducing downtime and total cost of ownership.
With excellent mechanical properties, all semiconductor materials demonstrate the highest purity in their class, without compromising plasma resistance, outgassing and thermal stability. Individually, the materials are best-in-class in terms of specific characteristics:
- Isolast® PureFab™ JPF10 for remote plasma resistance with all-organic formulation.
- Isolast® PureFab™ JPF20 for overall plasma resistance and minimal particulation in harsh environments.
- Isolast® PureFab™ JPF21 for long-term thermal stability and low trace metal contamination.
- Isolast® PureFab™ JPF30 for its market-leading high temperature rating and extreme purity in a translucent material.
Features and benefits
- High temperature stability
- Maximum purity
- Exceptionally low trace metal content
- Excellent plasma resistance
- Best performance in aggressive front-end processes such as deposition, etching, ashing/shearing, plasma cleaning and thermal processing such as atomic layer deposition
- Reduced particle generation and ultra-low outgassing performance at high vacuum conditions
- It allows end users to extend the maintenance cycles of their products while ensuring maximum process performance.
- All Isolast® PureFab™ gaskets are manufactured and packaged in a Class 100 (ISO5) clean room environment to ensure product purity.
– Isolast® PureFab™ JPF10
All-organic material for demanding high temperature applications
– Isolast® PureFab™ JPF20
A new level of plasma resistance for the most aggressive applications
– Isolast® PureFab™ JPF21
Excellent high temperature performance in demanding applications
– Isolast® PureFab™ JPF22
Superior chemical compatibility for a wide range of semiconductor applications
– Isolast® PureFab™ JPF30
State-of-the-art translucent material for critical applications
– Isolast® PureFab™ JPF40
Ultra-high-temperature perfluoroelastomer for demanding applications
