Bal Seal spring energized seals can make the critical success factor when designing long lasting, high performing surgical tools.

1. Choosing Seals to Advance High-Speed
Surgical Tool Performance
David Wang, Global Market Manager
Bal Seal Engineering, Inc.

2. Slide 2
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. Products are
the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be
manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Common Surgical Power Tool
Environment
• Operating conditions
 High-speed RPM
 Small shaft diameter
 High vibration
• Media
 Blood, tissue, bone, saline, water,
air
• Reprocessing
 Autoclave
 Heat, steam, moisture
 Gamma radiation
 Detergent

3. Slide 3
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. Products are
the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be
manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Common Applications
• ENT handpieces
• Bone drills
• Catheter systems
• Arthroscopic shavers
• Reamers
• Dental drills
• Surgical robots

4. Slide 4
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. Products are
the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be
manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Seal Technology: A Critical Element
• Low friction designs to meet
low torque and high RPM
operating requirements
• Protects expensive motors and
electronics from surgical
media
• Increases instrument longevity
from harsh reprocessing
procedures
• Minimize heat generation for
surgeon and patient safety

5. Slide 5
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be reproduced, copied,
published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. Products are
the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are PROPRIETARY and products may not be
manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Factors That Impact Seal Design
• Performance conditions
 RPM
 Pressure
 Media
 Life expectancy
 Torque capacity
• Hardware conditions
 Shaft diameter, material,
surface finish, surface hardness,
tolerances
 Shaft/bore misalignment
• Reprocessing conditions
 Autoclave
 Gamma sterilization

6. Slide 6
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be
reproduced, copied, published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal
Engineering, Inc. Products are the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are
PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Seal Design Factors: A Closer Look
• Friction
 Function of speed, temperature,
pressure, material, surface finish,
media, and shaft hardness
 Friction has a linear relationship
with surface finish
 Stiction vs. Friction
 Low stiction materials require less
peak torque
 Low friction PTFE materials
generate less heat and offer
greater performance at higher
speeds
391
765
1366
2488
4735
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
2.0 4.0 8.0 16.0 32.0
FrictionalForce
Grams
Surface Finish
Microinches RMS (Microinches Ra)
Frictional Force vs. Surface
Finish
(1.8) (3.6) (7.2) (14.4) (28.8)
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
PTFE
PFA
FEP
PEEK
UHMWPE
HDPE
Delrin
PVC
Nylon
Static Coefficient of Friction

7. Slide 7
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be
reproduced, copied, published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal
Engineering, Inc. Products are the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are
PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Seal Design Factors: A Closer Look
• Sealing efficacy
 Balance between sealing capability, heat
generation, and seal life
 Canted coil spring energizer - flat force vs.
deflection curve energizes sealing lips
 Provides consistent sealing performance that stops
undesired contamination
 Better surface finish improves sealing contact area
and increases sealing ability
 Surface finish of 4 to 8 Ra is recommended for most
rotary applications

8. Slide 8
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be
reproduced, copied, published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal
Engineering, Inc. Products are the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are
PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Seal Design Factors: A Closer Look
• Seal life
 Low friction PTFE materials
produce less heat and
decelerates wear rate
 Special seal designs manage heat
that allows the seal to run cooler
at higher speeds
 Harder and smoother surface
finishes lower molecular
adhesion, reducing friction and
extending seal life
 Recommend Rockwell C 42 or
higher

9. Slide 9
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be
reproduced, copied, published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal
Engineering, Inc. Products are the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are
PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Seal Design Factors: A Closer Look
• Reprocessing
 Specially developed low
moisture absorption
PTFE polymers provide
consistent protection
while increasing
operating life for
instruments requiring
autoclave
 Canted coil spring
energizer preloads
sealing lip to maintain
protective barrier during
thermal cycling

10. Slide 10
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be
reproduced, copied, published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal
Engineering, Inc. Products are the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are
PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Optimizing the Seal Design
Requirements Solutions
• High-speed rotary
• Minimal temperature
rise
• Limited torque budget
• Repeatable
performance
• Bal Seal® spring-energized low friction PTFE
polymer seals
• Low coefficient of friction
• Low static friction (stiction)
• Bal Spring® canted coil spring energizer
precisely controls applied sealing force
• Unique force curve administers
consistent sealing pressure over large
tolerance range
• Locking ring design to improve stability of the
seal jacket, preventing slippage and material
shrinkage under thermal cycling
• Multiple autoclave
steam cycles
• Bal Seal® SP191 high performance polymer-
filled PTFE
• Low moisture absorbing
• FDA compliant
• Small form factor • Bal Seal® cross sections start as small as
0.016” (0.40mm) and shaft diameters 0.020”
(0.50mm)

11. Slide 11
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be
reproduced, copied, published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal
Engineering, Inc. Products are the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are
PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Summary & Recommendations
• To eliminate costly mistakes and delays, consider sealing
requirements as part of overall system design
• In the early stages, collaborate with Bal Seal Engineering to:
 Custom design a seal that meets all your system/application
requirements
 Receive complimentary consultative engineering advice
 Hardware design review
 Produce high-quality seal prototypes
 Perform seal testing to verify performance
 Friction testing
 Dynamic leak vs. friction testing
 Pressure
 Spray-down
 Transition successful prototype to full production

12. Slide 12
February 18 ©Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. This document contains and/or refers to PROPRIETARY information of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., and may not be
reproduced, copied, published, or distributed in any form or disclosed to a third party, in whole or in part, without the written authorization of an officer of Bal Seal
Engineering, Inc. Products are the subject of issued or pending United States and foreign patents. Products of Bal Seal Engineering, Inc. and this document are
PROPRIETARY and products may not be manufactured, or caused to be manufactured, by any other party.
Resources & Contact Information
David Wang
Global Market Manager, Medical Devices
Bal Seal Engineering, Inc.
O: +1 949.460.2147
M: +1 949.322.3972
marketing@balseal.c
om
www.balseal.com +1 949.460.2100 Design request form

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