Don’t let the simplicity of the o-ring fool you! It takes a lot to manufacture one of these little rubber rings, and careful precision is put into each one. The sheer amount of o-rings produced each day at the PPE, or Precision Polymer Engineering Ltd, is astounding to say the least. The process of making polyurethane o rings, neoprene o rings, and even custom o rings has several steps and tasks involved. This video buy PPE gives us a first-hand look at the inside of a factory that makes o-rings!
Without a doubt, the process shown is quite mesmerizing to watch. Materials are mixed into the material in a milling machine, and it is then extruded out of a machine that looks like a pasta machine! It gets moulded in a press, and then packaged and dispatched to the engineer or mechanic who needs it.
Walking through the process of making such tiny rubber o-rings is interesting, but it gets even more interesting with the larger rings! They get extra care and attention, being ran through a buffer machine. The rubber production industry is not only massively profitable, it is also aesthetically pleasing to watch.
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