gaskets

[Scott M Smith]

For another industrial idea, which is even mentioned on epilog's webiste, I am working on a tutorial for how to create the gaskets in corel draw. All that is left is uploading the pictures and posting the tutorial here. Before I do this, is there any interests in this? I tested my tutorial by printing the file to a laser printer and comparing it to a real gasket and it works great.

[Rodne Gold]

The easiest way to recreate a gasket is to scan it in and then input the scan result into corel and use corels tools to follow the outlines andmake it "vector". Using trace works , but then you have a vector line that doesn't have true circles and so forth.
We make a lot of gaskets , both on the laser and on our CnC machines , we also use a printer to make sure the initial try is accurate... We also use paper in the laser and cut it , to check the laser's output corresponds to the real gasket.
Difficult field to get into and a lot of gaskets cant be cut on a laser as the laser doesnt always process the material well (like head gaskets which we do in copper , some rubber gaskets are almost impossible to cut if they thick , some multilayer gasket material doesnt cut nicely in the laser and so on)
There are lots of gaskets and materials that do cut well tho.

[william kaminsky]

I tried the automotive gasket market years ago. Found that the end user got the gasket with some "suspect" added on. They suspected that theirown equipment was distorted or warped, and that my gasket would not fit then. Had nothing to do with my measurements, it was THEIROWN they feared. They essentially preferred the two cents cheaper die-cut gasket than mine. As they figured that if the die-cut version did not fit they could toss it out, make up one of their own then and save a few cents still.

Got to get the costs more competitive overall. Was easy to say that I had better sheet materials, but that still did not upsurpt the cost factor.

Wm.

[scott keller]

Scott, I would love to see your tutorial.

Here is a picture of a set I cut this morning. Did them pretty much as Rodney described above only just used the trace function. On the tricky ones we usually like to spray paint the sample black before scanning as it comes out cleaner. We just scan, trace and print. Did not have to adjust them at all. Sometimes we have to tweak them a bit.

[Joe Pelonio]

I do a lot of them for 2-3 companies, using various rubber and silicone materials. I haven't had to worry about the artwork as they always send me a cad file. Most have been for the electronics industry, such as cell phone prototypes.

I have made a few for my own use when I had the '72 El Camino, and on those I hand traced the part, scanned and used Corel trace. Cleaning up the vector file is easy since it doesn't have to be as perfect and "beautiful" as
logos on a sign.

[James Rambo]

I have to think of my younger years (30 - 35 years ago) when I needed a gasket. My dad showed me how to use the gasket material and a ball peen hammer to create a gasket pattern. Then using a punch and a pair of sissors we had a gasket. Now we have thuousands of dollars in laser equipment to make it. WOW.

[Scott M Smith]

My tutorial is mainly for flange gaskets. I will see about getting it up tonight.

[Tim Bateson]

I had a '71 Plymouth Roadrunner - The 340 Wedge had been swapped for a 318 & the exhaust was custom made. I made header caskets from a couple Cheerios boxes with Form-a-Gasket. Drove & drag raced that car for several years with no leaks.

Off the subject, but thanks for the trip down memory lane.