Based in Blackburn, England, the diaphragm maker Metflex has been part of Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) since mid-2017. Especially in the natural gas field, Metflex had technological expertise and market know-how that Freudenberg had lacked until that point. The business unit’s development of a new material, complete with certification, shows how effectively it operates internationally and how well it has been received in the Freudenberg family.
The component in question was one of those liquid gas regulators familiar to avid grillers and campers. If you want to provide parts for this type of safety component in Canada, the United States or Mexico, the materials have to be certified under ANSI/CAN/UL144, an industrial standard in effect in those countries. Certification based on the British or the European EU standard is not enough. “We didn’t have a material that met the American standard, so we had to develop one,” said Andrew Gwinnett, Materials Development Technologist at Application Center (AC) Diaphragms in Blackburn.
It all started with an online training session run by AC Diaphragms in Blackburn and attended by Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies in Mexico. The team saw the market potential in North, Central and South America for high-quality diaphragms that regulate liquid gas flow into equipment, whether in private residences or for building supply systems.
The idea and the initial impetus came from Mexico, and then a special NBR material was developed and tested in the United Kingdom. It was ultimately certified by an independent lab in the United States. Its “Certificate of Compliance” shows that it meets the industrial standard ANSI/CAN/UL144, which is recognized and required in North, Central and South America. The developers of the NBR material had to manage a challenging “material characteristics balancing act.” The NBR has to be flexible at temperatures as low as −40° Celsius and still pass all the required chemical resistance tests. And it succeeded.
This intercontinental development and certification process demanded the close cooperation of Freudenberg staff on both sides of the Atlantic. For example, to help ensure the new material would meet the standard, the sales staff in Mexico had to precisely inform developers in England about customers’ requirements in the Americas. Online communication made it possible.
The successful collaboration has opened up a new market for FST. The confirmation of the first series production contract was pending in mid-January.
