The Situation
An internet leader in digital mapping operating a fleet of geo-imaging vehicles had a problem. A gearbox on each vehicle deployed the camera system. Water ingress at the gearbox seal was causing damage, requiring frequent and costly servicing. Fleet deployment efficiency was significantly impaired.
The Ask
Review a shortlist of suspect seals and recommend improvements.
The Solution
We recommended upgrading 2 seals to solve the problem. Both required elastomer formulations better suited to the application requirements.
- One fully custom profile dynamic seal was created and prototyped in under 4 weeks.
- Both designs were backwards compatible with existing hardware.
- Darcoid’s Performance Creep controls were adopted, assuring predictable seal performance regardless of influences inside and outside the supply chain
The Success
The new parts could be installed in existing glands allowing fast and inexpensive retrofit on existing maintenance schedules. Fleet vehicle optimization was improved to maximize productivity.
