Tip: The Lathe-Cut O-Ring

More and more people are turning to the lathe-cut o-ring as their choice for a power drive belt. The lathe-cut o-ring is inexpensive and offers many advantages. First of all, it is very easy to install. Because it is resilient, you do not need to worry about installing it with a belt tensioning device.

If you are thinking of just one lathe-cut o-ring (or a small quantity) this could be an expensive option. Usually, you need to pay for special tooling to manufacture the exact o-ring you need. So, for just one lathe-cut o-ring, this would be very costly. However, if you need a large quantity, the cost of the tooling is spread over many o-rings and becomes a small part of the cost of each one.

If you are considering a lathe-cut o-ring solution to your application, please talk to our engineers about the material to be used. Planning which material to use requires careful consideration. You will want to minimize the stress relaxation of the elastomer and choose a compound that has a long flex life span. At the same time, you will need to pick an elastomer that will work in the temperature range of your application and handle the fluids it will encounter.

Check out our tip on acid o-rings.