Pascalor

Guides

Technical guides

Original, plain-language guides on FKM, HNBR, FEPM and PTFE compounds, testing, specification and handling. Free to read, written for engineers and buyers.

Deeper reading

Four sets of longer articles

36 articles

Reverse engineering

How a rubber part is analysed and where the method stops.

Open → 18 articles

White papers and insights

Mixing, compounding and field notes.

Open → 24 articles

PTFE guides

Fillers, wear, creep, seals, gaskets, chemistry and regulation.

Open → 33 articles

Seal engineering

Design, materials, standards, testing and failure analysis.

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Glossary

Polymers

Beginner6 min read

FEPM (Aflas-type) explained: steam, bases, amines and where it falls short

FEPM is a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and propylene. It is a specialist for steam, amines and strong bases, with limits in cold and in aromatic fluids.

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Beginner9 min read

FKM (fluoroelastomer) explained: families, fluorine content and cure systems

What FKM is, how the families differ, why fluorine content matters, and how bisphenol and peroxide cure change what you get.

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Beginner8 min read

HNBR explained: acrylonitrile content, hydrogenation and cure

Hydrogenated nitrile is the workhorse for dynamic oilfield sealing. This page covers the three choices that define a grade and how cure systems change performance.

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Compounding

Intermediate8 min read

Fillers and acid acceptors: how black, silica and metal oxides change a seal compound

Fillers decide hardness, strength and set. Acid acceptors protect the polymer and take part in cure. This page covers the usual choices for FKM, HNBR and FEPM.

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Intermediate8 min read

Peroxide cure and coagents: how the chemistry works and where it goes wrong

Peroxides crosslink saturated rubbers such as HNBR, FEPM and peroxide-curable FKM. This page explains the mechanism, why coagents matter and the usual failure modes.

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Specifications

Intermediate6 min read

How to read an ASTM D2000 / SAE J200 line callout

A short code can describe a rubber material by heat, oil swell, hardness, tensile and further requirements. Here is how to decode it and write one.

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Beginner6 min read

Reading a datasheet and a test report: what to check before you trust the numbers

Datasheet values are typical, test reports are specific. A short checklist for telling the difference and spotting gaps.

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Oil and gas

Intermediate7 min read

Rapid gas decompression (explosive decompression): why seals blister and how it is tested

Gas dissolves into a seal under pressure. If the pressure drops fast, the gas can tear the seal apart from inside. This page explains the mechanism and the test route.

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Intermediate7 min read

Sour service and elastomers: what H2S does to seals and how ageing is assessed

Hydrogen sulfide, CO2, water and hot hydrocarbons age seals in ways ordinary oven tests miss. This page covers the main failure routes and the usual qualification approach.

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Analysis

Intermediate9 min read

Reverse engineering a rubber compound: what is possible, what is not, and how it is done

An overview of how a rubber part is analysed to understand its composition and properties, and the limits of the method.

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Foundations

Beginner7 min read

Reading a rubber formulation: phr, ingredients and what each one does

A compound is a recipe written in parts per hundred rubber. Here is how to read one, and what each ingredient group is there to do.

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Properties and testing

Intermediate8 min read

Compression set: the number that predicts whether a seal keeps sealing

What compression set measures, what drives it, how the test is run and how to avoid comparing numbers that cannot be compared.

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Intermediate8 min read

Fluid compatibility and swell testing: how to read an immersion test

Immersion tests show how a compound reacts to a fluid. Here is how the test is run, what the numbers mean and where the traps are.

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Intermediate7 min read

Low-temperature performance: Tg, TR10 and what actually decides whether a seal seals when cold

Glass transition, retraction, brittleness and sealing are different things. A grade rated to -30 °C may still leak at -30 °C.

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Intermediate7 min read

Reading a cure curve: ML, MH, ts2 and t90 in plain language

A rheometer trace tells you how a compound will process and cure, and is the fastest batch-to-batch check. Here is what each number means.

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Quality

Beginner6 min read

Batch consistency and traceability: what to ask any compound supplier

A compound that passes once is not the same as a compound that passes every time. Consistency comes from records, limits and change control, not only from the recipe.

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Beginner5 min read

Storing and handling uncured compounds and finished seals

Heat, light, ozone, moisture and time all change rubber. A few storage rules protect cure properties and shelf life.

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Regulation

Intermediate5 min read

PFAS regulation and fluoroelastomers: what is moving and what to watch

The EU proposal to restrict PFAS could reach fluoro-rubbers. This page summarises the position reported in spring 2026 and what buyers and suppliers can do now.

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Selection

Intermediate8 min read

Choosing between FKM, HNBR and FEPM for oilfield and industrial sealing

A decision guide built around the service: temperature, fluid, pressure change, dynamic or static, and approvals.

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Working with us

Beginner5 min read

How to specify a compound: the requirement checklist

The information that lets a compounder propose the right candidate on the first round, and what happens to your requirement after you submit it.

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