Oil Seals

An oil seal, rotary shaft seal, grease seal or lip seal is a simple component used in rotary shaft machinery whose main job is to protect the ball, sleeve and roller bearings found in rotating shafts by preventing the oil from leaking out and keeping out impurities like dust and water.

During installation, the oil seal is attached to the bearing, with its lip pressing against the rotating shaft and the casing resting on the housing to hold the seal in place. It works by retaining the lubricant in a thin layer between the lip and the shaft.

If the oil seal breaks, it causes leakage and allows abrasive and corrosive moisture and sediments to enter the machine, causing it to lose performance and become sluggish.

Although simple and small, it’s clear the role of oil is substantial in maintaining peak performance of the equipment and preventing unnecessary wear and tear.

For proper functioning even at high temperatures, the seal is made from an elastomer, which is first vulcanised to a metal ring and has a specialised metal tension spring behind the sealing lip that keeps the oil seal firmly in place against the moving part.  

TFC supplies a wide range of oil seals designed for various uses. The seals vary depending on the material they’re made from, design and dimensions. Needless to say, it’s critical to choose the right one for your application. If you can’t find the proper oil seal from our C-Class collection, you can work with our technical team to design a customised oil seal, receive the prototype for testing and get assistance with the production and supply of the oil seal.

Types of Oil Seals

TFC supplies oil seals in different configurations, dimensions and orientations. The seals are made from different materials, making them ideal for various applications. Our range of oil seals is made from different materials, such as:

Leather oil seals

These are also known as Type L oil seals. This range of oil seals is common in components subjected to dirt and poor lubrication. The seals come pre-lubricated and can absorb fluids, providing quality sealing properties that synthetic rubber seals cannot provide.

Synthetic rubber oil seals

SBR oil seals or Styrene Butadiene rubber oil seals provide strong resistance to lesions and abrasion, making them perfect for fast-moving machinery. These seals can also withstand extreme temperatures and excel in outdoor components as well. Synthetic rubber seals are considered to be more cost-effective than natural rubber seals.  

Nitrile oil seals

Nitrile oil seals are the commonly used term for acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber seals. They are a general-purpose option because of their flexibility of use across various components. They have strong fat, hot water, mineral oils, grease and animal oils resistance, making them the most commonly used oil seals.

On the flip side, nitrile oil seals don’t have a wide temperature range. They’re not ideal for machinery that sees extreme temperature changes.

Viton oil seals

Viton is a combination of synthetic rubber and a fluoropolymer elastomer. It’s used to make oil seals that provide high-temperature resistance in low-compression set components. The seals also exhibit high chemical and abrasion resistance and feature in elements that regularly interact with solvents and petroleum.

Polyacrylate oil seals

This range of seals features heavily in automotive and transmission uses. The seals can withstand fuel, ozone, oil, UV and weather degradation, and because cars are exposed to all these elements, these seals are the perfect choice.

Polyacrylate oil seals should be used in low temperatures because their flexibility weakens when they’re cold.

Silicone oil seals

Silicone is a commonly used material in making oil seals and O-rings seals because of its flexibility and diverse application range. Silicone oil seals help to absorb lubricants to reduce wear and friction, offer high thermal resistance and have a diverse temperature range. However, they don’t handle abrasions well and shouldn’t interact with oxidised oils.

PTFE oil seals

This is a relatively new type of oil seal with exciting potential. The unique material used to make the seals allows them to withstand dry and unlubricated operations, and they have a massive operational temperature range of -130⁰C and 200⁰C. The seals also exhibit strong chemical resistance and may take over as the preferred rotary shaft seals.

Besides distributing oil seals made from different materials, TFC also stocks oil seals with different orientations, such as;

• Single lip with a garter spring (S)
• Dual lip with a garter spring (T)
• Single lip without a garter spring (V)
• Dual lip without a garter spring (K)

No matter how simple or complex your oil seal demands, TFC has an extensive range of C-Class oil seals designed to match and exceed your requirements. We can also assist our clients in transitioning into manufacturing quality oil seals through our industry-leading manufacturing partners.