What is a Wiper Seal?

Wiper Seals, also known as Scraper Seals or Dust Seals are primarily designed to prevent contaminants from getting into a hydraulic system.

This is usually achieved by the seal having a wiping lip that essentially cleans away any dust, dirt or moisture from the rod of a cylinder on each cycle. This type of sealing is crucial, as contaminants can potentially cause damage to the other components of the hydraulic system, and cause the system to fail.

The wiping lip always has a smaller diameter than the rod it is sealing. This provides a tight fit around the rod, to prevent any dirt getting in, when in both a static and dynamic position, while still permitting a reciprocating ram rod to pass through the inner bore of the seal.

Wiper Seals come in range of different styles, size and materials, to best suit the application and operating conditions of a fluid power system.

Some Wiper Seals have secondary functions, this may include having a harder scraping lip to remove stubborn contaminants such as bonded dirt, frost or ice, or a secondary lip used to capture any oil that may have bypassed the main seal. These are commonly known as Double Lipped Wiper Seals.

In the case of a Flexible Wiper Seal, the seal is usually held in by its shoulder.

A Metal Cased Wiper Seal relies on the outer metal case having an interference fit to hold it in the housing. It will therefore measure slightly larger on the outside diameter.

If you require any further guidance on Wiper Seals, then our knowledgeable team at FPE Seals would be happy to help.

We stock and supply a fully range of Wiper Seals. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, we can also manufacture the seals to your specification, in a full range of materials to meet your exact requirements.

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