Learn About Our Manufacturing Capabilities

Manufacturing

Our manufacturing capabilities include, but are not limited to:

Automatic Molding

Our automatic molding department provides 60 - 80% of the feedstock to the rest of the facility. This department provides molded tube stock to the CNC and automatic slicing departments. Through the automatic molding process we are able to produce sleeve stock of exacting size with virgin PTFE and all the various common and exotic filled compounds which are utilized within our industry.
To achieve optimum efficiency and accuracy, our automatic presses are custom built to Prolon's specifications.
Once molded, the pre-forms head to our sintering department where the microprocessor controlled ovens are programmed to cure our products with extreme accuracy. This produces a stress relieved pre-form which is now ready for either the machining or auto-cutting departments.

Extrusion

Prolon, Inc. extrudes virgin PTFE from 3/8" through 2" diameter. Besides supplying feedstock to our CNC departments. Our extruders also supply other screw machine shops with PTFE rod. Our rod is known throughout our Industry as extremely high quality and dimensionally stable and can be centerless ground to exacting tolerances.

CNC Turning

Prolon, Inc. currently employs CNC turning centers which have been greatly modified to optimize their productivity in the machining of engineered plastics. They are extremely accurate and can be programmed to meet your engineering specifications.
Once your product has been qualified, all tooling, programs, and gauges are categorized and stored for the life of the product. This ensures accuracy and repeatability for you and your customers.
We utilize these manufacturing capabilities to produce custom products to your specifications as well as many industrial standard products such as backup rings, wear rings, piston rings, and packing.

Automated Lathe Cutting

Automatic lathe cutting is the process Prolon, Inc. utilizes for the manufacturing of high volume backup rings, packings, and thrust washers.
High volumes are typically required to justify the tooling cost required for the automatic molding tool required. This department receives molded sleeve stock from the automatic molding department where the tube stock has been molded to specifications on the outside and inside diameters.
The automatic lathe cutting equipment has been specifically built to our specifications to produce extremely accurate cuts very efficiently.
We produce millions of rings for customers through this process annually.

Materials

PTFE

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), more commonly known by its trademarked name Teflon, is a synthetic fluoropolymer which has numerous applications. It has an extremely low coefficient of friction; is very non-reactive, and is often used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals.

BENEFITS OF PTFE PROPERTIES

Food Handling Applications

  • FDA and 3A sanitary compliant
  • Suitable for direct contact with food
  • Chemical resistance allows cleaning without solution absorbing into material
  • Material can be used in applications with constant operating temperature of up to 500º F
  • Low coefficient of friction make product suitable for ease of cleaning and less wear on bearing surfaces

Application Currently Supplied as:

  • Bearing
  • Shaft seal (Dynamic and Static)
  • Shaft wiper ring
  • Coupling and Fitting seals
white round flange with circular holes

Electrical Applications

The dielectric constant property of PTFE shows less change over a wide range of temperature and frequency than any other solid material. This property inherently makes for an excellent long term insulator. The dielectric strength of this material allows the user to insulate high voltage with relatively small cross-sections of material.

Application Currently Supplied as:

  • Insulating bearing
  • Insulating piston rings
  • Insulators

Chemically Resistant

PTFE is considered one of the most chemically inert solids and remains so up to its upper temperature limitations of 500º F. Few chemicals are known to react with this material.

The molecular structure of PTFE also creates inherently good material properties for: absorption rate, permeability, low surface adherability and low friction properties.

Application Currently Supplied as:

  • Air conditioning control valve seal
  • Air conditioning piston rings
  • Hydraulic fluid seals
  • Hydraulic fluid shaft seals
  • Elastomer backup rings
  • Fuel valve seals
  • Fluid handling control valve seals

Alternate Materials

In addition to virgin PTFE, we offer a full range of filled PTFE materials (glass fiber, bronze, carbon, moly, etc.) as well as other engineered plastics.
Our engineering staff is available to assist in the selection of the proper material for your specific needs.
Prolon, Inc. has a diverse customer base providing a solid foundation. We continue to grow business based on our commitment to a quality product and excellent service. We appreciate your interest and ask the opportunity to quote on your PTFE requirements

Products

Prolon provides custom PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) products to a wide range of markets. Automotive, Electronic, Food Service Equipment, Heating and Air Conditioning Control Valves and Fluid Control Valves are just to mention a few. We provide products to these markets in a variety of PTFE compounds as well as other engineered plastics.
The list of products available from Prolon is as long as a client’s specific needs may be. Product manufacturing is centrally controlled by the original program through CNC machinery. The result is finished parts repeatedly manufactured to the closest tolerances using materials and methods providing maximum performance at the lowest cost.
Common Applications to us include:

  • Hydraulic and Pneumatic Piston Rings and Backup Rings
  • Transmission Seals
  • Bearings
  • Piston and Valve Seals
  • Electrical Insulators
  • Ball Valve Seats and Stem Seals
  • Wiper Rings
  • Gaskets
  • Envelope Gaskets
  • Pipe Couplings
  • Wear Rings
  • Static and Dynamic Seals

Hydraulic Seals and Gaskets: Why Prolon Is the Best Choice

If you're looking to buy hydraulic seals, you've come to the right place. Prolon can help you decide which PTFE or engineered plastic hydraulic gasket best meets your needs or help you design custom seals from the ground up.
At Prolon, we welcome new challenges and helping to solve your problems. From concept to final product shipping, our engineering, sales and manufacturing branches work closely with clients to create the most cost-effective and reliable hydraulic components available.
Each year, we supply millions of standard hydraulic seals to industry partners through seamless manufacturing and delivery. In-house control over each step assures our customers they're getting the best that money can buy.

Prolon uses the latest CNC machining technology. But beyond the standard technology, we optimize our process to make your unique custom hydraulic seals.

Focus on Precision: Statistical Process Control

Once prototype hydraulic seals are approved and production begins, quality control becomes the primary focus. A well-designed gasket must be manufactured precisely so it performs as expected in the real-world setting.
Reliability and consistency are assured through the use of statistical process control (SPC). Descriptive analysis is performed at every step in gasket manufacturing, and this information is used for continuous process improvement. Once the process is stable, SPC keeps a close eye on hydraulic seal tolerances to maintain super high quality. We strive to meet our customers' sophisticated demands.

The Right Choice for Standard or Custom Hydraulic Seal Products

With the diverse services and products we have available, we can meet your needs through standard products. If your needs are unusual, we'll walk with you through the whole custom design process from start to finish.
Precise statistical process control, industry standard materials, reliability and consistency combine in our unique products. We're committed to bringing you quality hydraulic seals that satisfy your current requirements and help your company grow into the future.