In 1988 a Wellington-based hydraulics Engineer couldn’t get the hydraulic seals he wanted and so like all Kiwis with that Number 8 fencing wire mentality, he did it himself.
Seals are one of the most important and relied upon components in any hydraulic system and at the time he had been frustrated by the then reality – seals were only sold by size and shape dictated by a one-size-fits-all mentality. Where, he thought despairingly, in the whole discipline of engineering, and ever-changing industry, does one size
possible fit all?
It doesn’t, of course, so he thumbed his nose at the establishment and set up Pacific Seals to supply the likes of people similar to him that could not get what was needed. And he did it well. Pacific Seals has passed its quarter century mark, which just goes to show that if you do something and do it well – including listening to your own gut feeling as well as the needs of your customers – you can’t go wrong.
Pacific Seals provides design and technical back up right back to the source of manufacture as well as machining and specifications for the seals it stocks. And if it doesn’t stock them, the company can make or modify a seal if the right part is not available through standard means, promises sales support and account manager, Trevana McLean.
“When an order is being placed we need to discuss the technical aspects and make recommendations based on speed, pressure, surface finishes, fluid and application. We have, and are, releasing new catalogues in separate issues, which show a full 3D colour render of seals for ease of identification, features, operating conditions. All seals are not created equal.”
Pacific Seals is the sole master distributor of Hallite, the only seal brand readily available in New Zealand tested for between two and five million cycles before being put on the market. The company has a solid worldwide reputation for hydraulic and pneumatic seals and from its UK head office runs operations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy and the USA.
Hallite backs Pacific Seals 100 percent, says McLean, which means that if a customer has a problem with a Hallite seal there is no argument – the product can be redesigned, remoulded and remachined until the client is satisfied.
Hallite has also developed a patented hydrolysis stabilised urethane called Hythane 181, which is an ether based (eu) material. It is not only compatible with all common mineral hydraulic fluids, but also has total water tolerance making it the best material to use where many non-flammable fluids are and means it won’t break down with moisture.
Forma (formally known as Seal Maker) is the manufacturing side of Pacific Seals with product made from high grade materials sourced from Austria and Singapore. And with the addition of Hallite PU that is the same make-up as Hythane 181 to the inventory, the company can manufacture anything from brake systems to the food industry (inclusive of FDA certification upon request). The possibilities, says McLean, are endless.
“Typical applications include lifting equipment, cranes, heavy duty earthmoving machinery, heavy duty off-road vehicles, injection moulding machines, light duty tippers, packaging equipment and even hospital beds. “Although we specialise in the OEM and Trade we are also quite happy with the DIYer off the street who wants seals for their spa pools, garden hose, coffee machine, pressure cooker and tapware. We’ve even had requests for seals to be used as jewellery.”
In 2015, Graham Pudney of Pudney & Lee bought the company and now Pacific Seals is a division of that business and it has turned out to be an awesome fit, says McLean.
Pudney brings over 60 years of success in sales, marketing, sourcing, distribution and service to Pacific Seals and this means the company can now source seals worldwide, from Austria, USA, Italy, Asia, Australia, U.K. and Taiwan and only from only the highest quality manufacturers. Any new supplier is visited personally by Graham Pudney and qualified for production processes and quality, quality control, staff working conditions and environmental impact.
This has boosted the already impressive inventory to include O-rings, quad-rings, single and double acting seals, rotary, Dowty washers, BSP (imperial and metric sizes), pneumatic, centre swivel seals in many different shapes and sizes as well as Parker O-Lube, seal extraction tools, strip cutters, cap resizing tools, measuring tools.
The company’s newest brand is Hy-Max that, to date, includes O-Rings, Kits, Dowty Seals, DIN seals, cable ties, PTFE back-ups and its own Lube.
It’s hard to believe it is possible, but if you cannot find what you are looking for in this wide array of product, Pacific Seals can still find
a solution.
sales@pacificseals.co.nz
0800 822 722
