Original Date: 07/09/2007
Revision Date: / /

Inpro/Seal has developed and uses innovative test procedures, test stands, and fixtures that far exceed industry requirements for the testing of electrical motors for water and dust resistance. Customers can now develop true life cycle cost for building and maintaining their products with data provided them by Inpro/Seal.

The Inpro/Seal Company of Rock Island, Illinois, is a manufacturer of bearing isolators or non-contact seals for use on any rotating shaft motor that must have the bearings protected from leakage of bearing lubricant or incursion of contaminants into the bearings. As one of the premier manufacturers of non-contact isolators, the company is always striving to develop procedures, processes, and equipment to improve and ensure the quality of its products.

The International Protection (IP) Code testing is the currently accepted test for degrees of protection for electrical enclosures. Inpro/Seal feels that this test method, while internationally accepted, fails to fully test the degree of protection afforded motor bearings. The test methods normally used by the majority of industry are subjective in nature, providing only a pass or fail rating without meaningful metrics of the result. Inpro/Seal has developed test procedures and equipments that far exceed the requirements of the IP Codes. Through the use of its test procedures and in-house-built equipment, Inpro/Seal can now quantify or express the different tests in meaningful or empirical terms. The company also demonstrates repeatability for the testing process and uses hard metrics to address shortcomings. Inpro/Seal’s philosophy is to test each product until it fails versus testing only to see if it passes. By testing product until there is a failure and analyzing the data from the test results, Inpro/Seal ensures that a given design will always pass the IP Code rating. This offers the company’s customers a guarantee of the degree of protection and expected life expectancy its bearing isolators provide, which gives the end user a tool to develop a true life cycle cost of its end-use equipment. By having and using fixed tooling, test stands, procedures, and empirical data, Inpro/Seal can now accurately predict expected results when modifying existing designs or developing new designs for new non-contact bearing isolator applications.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.