Ionic leach-out is dramatically reduced – increasing seal life exponentially

Ft Wayne, IN – Trelleborg Sealing Solutions launches the patent-pending Turcon® Variseal® PS, a PEEK-energized seal with extremely low leach-out in semiconductor wet processing applications. This product is notable for its engineering integrity, expressly for its superior purity in semiconductor applications. It is an all-polymer product with no metallic components. A further development of the traditional metallic spring-energized Turcon® Variseal®, the Variseal® PS uses a Turcon® jacket to maintain its ability to seal with the sealing load applied through the use of PEEK polymer.

In such demanding industries as semiconductor, traditional sealing methods are put to extreme tests. All metals can be subject to chemical attack, no matter what their composition, and when this happens, seal life can be cut radically short. Most importantly, chemical attacks on metal can cause contamination that is unacceptable in these sensitive semiconductor processes.

“By utilizing a PEEK spring in place of a metal one, the risk of ionic leach out is dramatically reduced. Although FFKM is excellent in some semiconductor applications, the combination of Turcon® PTFE and PEEK is superior in wet processing,” says Stuart Moares, Semiconductor Product Manager for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. “Testing well-known FFKMs against PTFE, even the high-purity grades of FFKMs came in at more than 18,000 parts per billion cations detected, while the Variseal® PS had less than 2,000 parts per billion.”

The Turcon Variseal® PS operates at temperatures up to 176ºF/ 80ºC. Resistant to virtually all chemicals, it withstands pressures up to 5,800 psi/ 400Bar. It is available in sizes from 0.020 in/ 3mm to 90 in/ 2.3m for fitment in custom or standard O-Ring grooves, making for easy retro-fit.