| To use the tool, maintenance personnel grasp the O-ring removal tool with both hands and push it directly into the drum insert cavity until it is fully engaged. Each metal tab is pushed toward the center until it stops, and then released. Finally, the tool is removed from the drum insert and the O-rings are removed using the hemostat. |
Corrosive solutions can attack components, regardless of their material. For instance, tough FEP-encapsulated silicone or Viton O-rings used to seal chemical container connection systems like the Fluoropure Quick Connect System from Entegris, Chaska, Minn., must be replaced regularly. Chemical permeation can't be stopped, so Entegris engineers designed a tool that makes replacing O-rings easier.
Called the Fluoropure O-ring Removal Tool, the device lets users quickly remove the system's two smallest O-rings (dispense and vent O-rings) without damaging the sealing surfaces. In the past, O-rings were cut in half using a knife and removed with a hemostat or tweezers. If this process wasn't handled properly, users could easily scratch the sealing surface, forever ruining the drum insert. The new tool, however, can be plunged directly into the drum while operators simply squeeze two triggers to cut the O-rings.
The removal tool, which fits all PFA and polyethylene FluoroPure drum inserts, has an HDPE body, Teflon-coated springs, stainless-steel blades and hardware, and comes with a hemostat to remove the cut O-rings.