Airbag gasket

  • Gas cartridge gasket for airbag inflator assembly

    One of the largest Tier1 automotive suppliers required a gas cartridge gasket for the assembly of airbag inflators. The required quantity was almost half a million units per year.

    The quality requirements were very strict, even when compared to the German VDA 6.3 automotive production standard to which we normally adhere. The tolerances were tight and required rigorous QA control. The gaskets needed to be supplied in a format suitable for installation on an automated assembly line, therefore it was important to ensure the gaskets were supplied packaged in batches of exact quantities, clean and free from contamination.

    We rose to the challenge and designed a specialised pneumatic waste ejector to ensure the end product was completely waste-free. We implemented enhanced quality inspection system, therefore reducing the time needed for additional checks, and in doing so, provided cost savings to the customer.

    Read about this project in more detail below.

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  • Project requirements
    1. A die-cut silicone foam gasket for cartridge neck of airbag gas inflators, cut to specified shape with exact contours both inside and outside of the gasket.
    2. Gasket to be supplied ready for customer’s automated line assembly process.
    3. Quality inspection reports and certificates of conformity were required for each batch delivery
    Our solution
    1. Rogers Bisco® HT-800 was chosen for this project due to its composition and performance. It is V0 flame retardant medium hard silicone foam which is extremely resilient to mechanical fatigue and is manufactured in an AS-9100 certified facility.
    2. Parafix designed a multifaceted manufacturing process and provided project-specific training to all machine operators.
    3. Enhanced quality inspection system was implemented during the die-cutting
    4. Parafix designed, tested and implemented a specialised waste ejector to ensure all by-product from the inside of the gasket was removed. The ejector operates by using pressurised air and was controlled by the die-cutting machine’s control unit.
    5. Final parts were supplied in bags with exact quantity of products in each package, as per the requirements for automated line assembly.
    6. Detailed QA documents were supplied with each batch.
    Key benefits
    1. Parafix designed a specialised waste ejector to ensure the gaskets were clean and free of contamination
    2. Gaskets were produced to a very high standard while adhering to strict production procedures and supplied with relevant QA documentation
    3. Product was delivered on time and within budget.
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