The rod seal is the most important seal on any type of fluid power equipment, preventing fluid leakage from within the cylinder to the outside.

Function of a rod seal

Leakage through the rod seal can reduce equipment performance, and also in extreme cases can cause environmental issues. Particular attention should be paid to pair the rod seal and the wiper for the best sealing performance. If a less aggressive rod seal is paired with an aggressive wiper, the wiper can scrape off the microscopically thin film of oil that remains on the rod in microscopic surface imperfections during the return stroke, resulting in system leakage.