Where To Find Linear Encoder Lip Seals?

Mike C. · Dec 6, 2014

Just out of sheer luck scored an older Heidenhain DRO with two perfectly sized scales for my VN2G bridge mill for no more than beer money. The sealing lips on the encoders/scales are gone, rotten, dessicated, totally non-existent. I have done a little searching and already found somebody that tried to get them from Heidenhain and found them discontinued (of course, just my luck). I dug into my past and even tried an old Unger squeegee blade from my window washing years. It's about a 1/8" bead and the hole at the bottom of the encoder seal slot is about 3/32... just enough that it won't fit. I can't help but think that I have seen some kind of similar thing, maybe automotive or something that could work. Any ideas?

Also, the table scale will be mounted with the slot facing downwards and the head sticking upward into the housing slot (only way it will fit), not much fear of chips or coolant in there. The cross rail scale and head will be on the back side of the rail, and on top of the rail, 2 ft from any chips or coolant and protected by the rail (only runs coolmist, anyway), so these will really be not much more than dust seals.

matt_isserstedt · Dec 6, 2014

Just a thought that some kind of a carrier with wool felt will give you some protection but you'd probably have to change it more often. Or something like a soft U-cup that you cut up and straighten out.

Mike C. · Dec 6, 2014

If all else fails, I'm going to figure a way to open those slots in the extrusion to hold squeegee blades. Not super cheap (50ft roll is $100), but I can't even find the same shape on any of the seal material suppliers.

HuFlungDung · Dec 7, 2014

Could you make your own mold and pour your own seals? I see guys on How it's made making silicon rubber molds all the time with a pourable rubber. Or will that pourable rubber easily bond to what squeegee blade stock you can get?

Mike C. · Dec 7, 2014

Never messed with pouring rubber, but might be worth a shot. The short scale blades are about 22" long and the long ones almost 40. I'll look into it.

dgfoster · Dec 7, 2014

I have used Smooth-On 2-part rubber a couple of times. Not difficult. I think the idea of making your own mold is feasible. THe materials are not cheap and have a relatively short half life. But they are of good quality. Many different durometers are available from this company

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]http://www.smooth-on.com/Urethane-Rubber-an/c6_1117/index.html[/FONT]

Denis

Toms Wheels · Dec 7, 2014

I have a 20+ year old scale set Acu-rite and called them and bought 10 feet from MSC.
part # 68898600 bead that goes into groove is .062, width is .418. The part # from acu-rite is 683284.

I don't remember the price but I don't think it was more tha $20.

If you need to make something, Try the weather seals of sliding door, screen doors ect. The local hardware store has rolls of different seals give that a look.

Mike C. · Dec 7, 2014

BINGO, TOM! For $20, it's sure worth a shot.

Mike C. · Dec 9, 2014

Arrived today!! Wrong size in the other direction, dammit. If anybody needs seal lips for the small gold colored Acu-Rite scales, I can set you up.

wippin' boy · Dec 10, 2014

maybe customize a bulb seal somehow

McMaster-Carr

metlmunchr · Dec 10, 2014

Might check with a local glass contractor who does storefront and shower door work. My brother in law is in that business and he probably has 40 different seal profiles in stock that are used with various glass products.

AlfaGTA · Dec 10, 2014

Bit shocked to learn that Heidenhain no longer stocks or supplies the seals for their older scales....Bought some about a year ago for my LS903 scales on a Deckel no problem.

It is likely too much trouble but if you want the real stuff (not sure of the model scale you are fitting these to) i would try to
contact "Franz Singer" in Germany...This is a good guy who stocks and sells old (i mean back to the 40's) parts fro Deckel milling machines. I know members over on the Deckel board
have purchased the seals from him within the last month or so....

Singer does business with the US and will ship.
Can be a bit slow to respond to e-mail, but will answer the phone and speaks English.

Singer Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH

Some additional notes: Older HH scales often require working the seal holding groove to open it up to allow install of the new seals. Factory install it seams closed the channel on the seal after install
to keep it in place, making it necessary to do a bit of work before new material can be fitted

See this post: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...ing-heindenhain-vrz-753b-ls803-scales-284063/

Cheers Ross

Mike C. · Dec 10, 2014

wb, like every other place I checked, they have every form of seal imaginable except this one. Imagine an "i" with a big dot that attaches to the upright part. Stupid simple.

munchr, got a guy coming out to do a glass shower in the next few weeks. I'll pilfer his truck, lol!

Ross, just sent Heidenhain an email. I'll see what they say, These are Pos-Econ 501. Likely older than dirt and the low end models. Will report back.

Mike C. · Dec 11, 2014

Well, Ross, you were correct! They do have them for $27/meter. Guy who responded via email was asking who my local rep was... WTF? I looked around a little bit just now and can find no info whatsoever about sales reps or distributors. Sent him an email asking if I should contact their sales dept to locate a sales rep (backhanded way of asking if I need to do something he could walk down the hall and find out). We'll see how long this takes.

Mike C. · Dec 11, 2014

Well, that worked. He hit me back 15 minutes later with a distributor/outlet in Ohio, lol. Will order tomorrow.

reo12 · Jan 26, 2015

Hi Mike,
Can you tell me who you went to for seal lip material? I'm in Michigan and have exhausted attempts at finding any service centers here that can help. Had one send me some that ended up being too large. I tried places out of state and failed there also. Tom at Heidenhain was not able/willing to help either. I've got 2 machines with the same scales and can't rely on one anymore do to the seals having failed.

reo12 · Mar 12, 2016

Waiting for a reply

reo12 said:
Hi Mike,
Can you tell me who you went to for seal lip material? I'm in Michigan and have exhausted attempts at finding any service centers here that can help. Had one send me some that ended up being too large. I tried places out of state and failed there also. Tom at Heidenhain was not able/willing to help either. I've got 2 machines with the same scales and can't rely on one anymore do to the seals having failed.

I've not received a reply from Mike or anyone else. My mill sits idle as it can not be trusted anymore. I need lip seal material for LS 503 scales.

Onepass · Mar 12, 2016

I've got an old set of heidenhain digitals that a friend gave me, on a BeePee. Seals were trashed and I had to clean off the glass scales with alcohol and a Q tip. I bought a roll of seal lip from the HH dealer in St. Louis. The seals have a lip that interlocks before and after the reader head

Mike C. · Mar 13, 2016

Sorry, Reo 12, I never saw your post. Sad to admit, I have not ordered those seals yet. One of those round tuits. Million other projects got pushed in front of it, as it is my home shop machine and I haven't had use of it lately.

Mike C. · Mar 13, 2016

Found the contact info.

Automation and Metrology North

David Denman

(440) 354 - 6436
[email protected]

130 Liberty Street

Painesville, OH 44077

Where To Find Linear Encoder Lip Seals?

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Titanium

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Plastic

Plastic

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Diamond

Similar threads