Tuesday, January 24, 2012

O-rings and Custom Seals Parco

I have a Doulton countertop water filter to filter out coliform bacteria. It attaches to the faucet and has a switch to redirect the waterflow to come out the filter instead of the faucet. When I want the water to come out of the faucet, I just change the switch back. Every few years I have to buy a new filter, which needs cleaning every so often. A few years ago, the switch attached to the faucet started leaking. The switch piece had never been cleaned and as a result the o-ring rotted. Just a simple little thing, but I had to buy a whole new switch costing $40 in order to get things fixed.
O-rings are pretty important little objects. If they go bad, leakage occurs and things break. There is a company called Parco that specializes in producing o-rings. They produce high performance seals for six different industries.
The first industry is the Oil Field Machinery industry. A faulty seal can cost more than $100,000 a day in downtime alone. Parco develops o-rings, back-up rings, packing elements, compensators, T-seals, rubber-to-metal bonded parts and other custom seals that can withstand caustic, high-temperature environments in wells as deep as five miles.
The second industry is the Aerospace & Defense industry. Parco produces o-rings and custom molded seals to meet various military and aerospace specifications. They are one of the few companies approved to supply Qualified Products List o-rings.
The third industry is the Water Filtration industry. Parco produces o-rings and custom molded parts resistant to swelling in chloramine-treated drinking water. They also have low compression set to ensure an extended life.
The fourth industry is the Motor Vehicle industry. Parco produces o-rings and custom molded seals for engines, transmissions and steering systems.
The fifth industry is the Farm & Construction industry. Parco produces o-rings, back-up rings, and T-seals that stand up to even the toughest of jobs.
The sixth industry is the Fuel-Dispensing industry. Parco produces o-rings, rubber-to-metal bonded parts and other custom seals for pumps that are resistant to gasoline. The seals have low compression set to help extend their life.
If you need help finding a seal, Parco offers a tool called the Compound Wizard. You enter information such as elastomer, durometer, color and key properties, and the Compound Wizard will provide you with a list of seals with those qualifications.
Parco has been in business since 1941. They were the first manufacturer to specialize in o-rings. They are based in Ontario, California.