PuK - Process Technology & Components 2024

Components
Gaskets
heating appliances. Exact assembly
conditions and a high repeat accuracy
of assembly processes are to be
expected here.
The gasket material must therefore
have a consistent quality in order
to ensure industrial production with
consistent properties. In addition, it
must have a wide range of applications
in order to also enable manual
assembly under different conditions.
With the new product, the manufacturer
has developed a gasket
sheet that is very similar to previous
gasket materials with regard to its
properties. It is precisely these properties
that make it possible for the
user to use the new gasket material
without making any special adjustments.
The compression properties
and stability are just what the user
wants. Although it is difficult to produce
a well-vulcanised product due
to the extremely reduced cross-linking
chemistry, the KLINGER development
team did an excellent job.
conformity confirmation is already
on hand for this material.
Rubber-steel gaskets are frequently
used in the drinking water
supply as well – mostly in production
and distribution systems where
flange connections with coated surfaces
are installed. The situation is
similar for these gasket types. To
date, conformity with KTW-BWGL has
only been confirmed for the KLINGER
KGS GII made of special EPDM.
Fig. 3: KLINGER KGS GII rubber-steel gasket
made of special EPDM
al Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)
is given as well! Tests for approval under
the French ACS are currently ongoing.
Testing the raw materials was
successfully completed at press time.
All of this is highly advantageous
for manufacturers of water heating
appliances because differentiating
between drinking water gaskets and
gas supply gaskets in series production
is difficult. The numerous approvals
and conformities also facilitate
the export of drinking water
supply products and equipment to
various European countries and regions
– or make this possible in the
first place.
What’s more, the broad range of
approvals and conformities is helpful
for the cutting shop and technical
distributor; utilisation of the gasket
sheets is significantly improved
thanks to the additional application
possibilities.
The bottom line for developers,
designers, planners and installers
Fig. 2: KLINGERtop-chem 2000 PTFE-based
gasket sheet
What gaskets can also be used in
drinking water with higher surface
proportions? Aside from the fibre
materials, additional gasket materials
are available in the form of sheets
for cutting as well as ready-made
gaskets that meet the new requirements.
The PTFE-based “KLINGERtop-chem
2000” gasket sheet highly
filled with silicon carbide falls into
the synthetic materials category. A
Additional approvals and certificates
for the KLINGERSIL C-4240
fibre gasket
Having gasket materials tested by institutes
and organisations and obtaining
corresponding certificates has
become very time-consuming in recent
years. As a result, this information
only becomes available gradually
for a new product. After the drinking
water hygiene assessment according
to the elastomer directive and DVGW
worksheet W 270 was completed in
2021, KLINGER was also able to provide
proof of leak tightness for use
in gas applications in 2022. The DIN-
DVGW type testing certificate according
to DIN 3535-6 has been issued
for use in gas applications.
Now in 2024, we have also obtained
the English drinking water approval
WRAS and the statement according
to EU 1935/2004. Conformity with the
amended requirements of the Feder-
For the responsible manufacturer
and distributor of valves, pumps and
equipment in the drinking water field
of application, starting the process of
converting to the officially required
gasket quality is becoming more and
more urgent. Especially with regard
to industrially produced components,
equipment and systems, action must
be taken now in order to successfully
complete the conversion process
before the deadline. With three different
gasket types, KLINGER lets you
choose appropriate gaskets for new
components and equipment subject
to certification. The required verification
can be completed without great
effort, even for the P2 risk category.
The Author:
Dipl.-Ing. Norbert Weimer,
KLINGER GmbH, Idstein, Germany
www.klinger.de
PROCESS TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS 2024
103