Sealpool: the SKF years, independence in 2002, and the seal range

Sealparts was originally part of the Sealpool group of companies. Sealpool was acquired by SKF in 2000 and its hydraulic sealing range was published under the SKF banner as the Sealpool Hydraulic Seals catalogue. Sealparts became independent again in March 2002 and has traded as an independent seal engineering and supply business ever since.

What was Sealpool?

In an engineering context, Sealpool means one thing: Sealpool AB, the Scandinavian developer and supplier of hydraulic and pneumatic sealing systems. Sealpool built its reputation on a broad, well-documented range of piston seals, rod seals, wipers, guide rings, spring-activated seals, O-rings and back-up rings, sold through a network of technical distributors across Europe. Independent sealing technology providers using the Sealpool name have also existed in Germany.

Acquisition by SKF

SKF acquired Sealpool in 2000. The first edition of the SKF-published Sealpool Hydraulic Seals catalogue (SKF Publication 5181 E) appeared in 2001, followed by the expanded second edition (Publication 5397 E, August 2004), which added a full O-ring section. Both catalogues carried the SKF, CR and Sealpool trademarks and became a widely used reference for hydraulic cylinder designers and repairers.

Sealparts becomes independent — March 2002

Sealparts separated from the group in March 2002 and returned to independent trading. That history matters commercially: it means the engineering knowledge behind the Sealpool profile range — groove design practice, material selection, extrusion-gap control, tandem sealing systems, cross-referencing legacy designations — stayed in the business. We still identify and replace Sealpool-era seals from a sample, a drawing or a groove measurement.

Summary of the Sealpool seal range

The Sealpool hydraulic range was organised into seven groups. The profile designations below are the catalogue type codes (the CR-prefixed designations are excluded).

Piston seals

Single-acting and double-acting piston seals for pressures up to approximately 40 MPa, including polyurethane U-rings, nitrile compact seals and PTFE slide-ring assemblies for high speed, low friction and wide temperature swings.

Rod seals

Rod seals control leakage past the cylinder head and are frequently installed in tandem — a primary seal plus a secondary seal — so the secondary seal is lubricated from the back by the oil film gathered between them.

Wiper seals

Wipers exclude contamination on the rod return stroke while retaining a static seal in the housing. The range covered metal-reinforced, non-reinforced and double-acting designs, with piston wipers for contaminated environments.

Guide rings and guide strips

Guides carry side load and prevent metal-to-metal contact between piston and tube, or rod and head. Material choice — phenolic/fabric, acetal resin or PTFE — determines load capacity, friction and tolerance to poor lubrication.

• RGR .. PF / RGR .. A — rod guide rings in phenolic/fabric and acetal resin.
• PGR .. PF / PGR .. A — piston guide rings in phenolic/fabric and acetal resin.
• SB, SB/C — PTFE guide strips, cut to length for both piston and rod.

Spring-activated seals

Type SU spring-activated seals use a metal spring inside a PTFE jacket to maintain lip load at low pressure and at temperature extremes. They are installed radially or axially, in open or closed grooves, and suit chemically aggressive media and cryogenic or high-temperature service.

O-rings and back-up rings

• O-rings — Swedish standard and English/American (AS568) size series, for dynamic radial squeeze, static radial squeeze and static axial squeeze installations.
• ECOR — PTFE encapsulated O-rings, combining an elastomer core with a chemically inert PTFE jacket.
• Back-up rings — polyurethane and PTFE anti-extrusion rings supporting O-rings at high pressure or across large clearances.

Replacing legacy Sealpool seals today

Sealpool designations still appear on maintenance drawings and in cylinder service kits twenty years on. We cross-reference them by profile geometry rather than by part number alone: rod or bore diameter, groove width and depth, cross-section, and the duty (pressure, speed, temperature, fluid). Send the worn seal, a photograph against a rule, or the groove dimensions and we will confirm a current equivalent from the Sakagami, Guarnitec (Tecnotex / Tecnolan) or Accofluor ranges, or quote a machined or moulded special where no catalogue part fits.