The kit we run, with the specs that make each tool the right one for a particular job.
The bulk of cutting and machining runs on programmable kit. Knife cutters and CO2 lasers for non-metals, fibre lasers for metals, waterjets for thick stock and heat-sensitive substrates, routers for engineering plastics, and lathes for cylindrical parts. Several of these machines are open-bed: roll stock runs through, so single-piece parts several metres long off a continuous web are routine. The automatic CNC cutting press for unattended production-volume work sits in Press Operations below.
Flatbed oscillating-knife cutters in single-head and twin-head configurations. Reciprocating blade slices cleanly through elastomers, foams, fibres, and adhesive-backed substrates. Quiet, dust-free, no heat input. Vacuum-clamped bed with overhead projection to guide placement.
A 150 W CO2 laser for fine-detail profiles in non-metallic substrates: paper, cork, felt, leather, polyester film, polyimide, and similar. Works where geometry is intricate, or where repeat tolerances need to be tighter than knife cutting allows. Elastomers, foams, and PTFE go to other machines. PTFE in particular releases hazardous decomposition products under laser, so knife or waterjet handles those.
A 2 kW fibre laser for metals in thin-to-mid gauges: stainless, mild steel, aluminium, brass, and copper. Different wavelength to the CO2 line, so metal jobs route here and non-metals to the CO2 laser. Clean kerf with low heat-affected zone on stainless. Positioning accuracy 0.02 mm, re-positioning 0.03 mm, minimum line width 0.1 mm.
Abrasive waterjets for materials laser and knife can't take: thick metals, filled PTFE, graphite-faced gaskets, mica, composites, and any job where a heat-affected zone is unacceptable. Cold cut, no thermal influence, indifferent to material chemistry. Slower than laser on thin metal, faster on thick stock.
Large-format CNC routing for rigid sheet, thick PTFE billet, engineering plastics, and tooling boards. Routs to a programmed depth without cutting through, useful for stepped geometries, jig and fixture work, and any job where bed rigidity matters more than blade flexibility. Auto tool-change carousel handles routine bit swaps.
Centre lathes for cylindrical seal stock, custom O-ring grooves, packing rings, and small machined gasket bodies. Best for parts where flat-cut won't deliver the geometry, anything that turns on an axis.
Hydraulic and mechanical press operations across a range of sizes and tonnages. Travelling-head cutting presses for large-bed work, an automatic CNC cutting press for unattended production runs, a fleet of vintage flywheel punch presses for high-cycle compound-die parts, and press brakes for sheet-metal folding. Steel-rule dies feed all of this kit.
Travelling-head hydraulic cutting presses in a range of sizes. The cutting beam slides laterally across a wide flat bed and works with steel-rule dies for large-bed parts that don't fit a fixed clicker head. Operator-driven cycle and feed, best for varied or one-off runs where a setup-light press beats a programmed CNC machine.
Four-column hydraulic CNC cutting press with programmed head movement and automatic strip advance. Operator loads a roll; the machine cycles through cut patterns and advances the strip between cycles. Runs unattended for long production batches. Same press category as the travelling-head, but auto-fed rather than operator-driven.
Vintage cast-iron flywheel punch presses in a range of tonnages, from light strip-feed work up to a 35-ton workhorse. Compound dies cut and pierce in a single stroke; auto-advance keeps the strip moving between cycles. The right tool for high-cycle commodity parts where a CNC cutter would be over-spec and a manual press too slow.
Hydraulic press brakes for sheet-metal folding and forming: jacket plates, retainer frames, fabricated bracketry. V-die and punch tooling with a numerical back gauge. Pairs with the cutting kit so jobs that need both blanking and folding move through one shop.
Strip and tape products from sheet and roll stock. Three technologies: rotary slitting for parallel multi-strip conversion, guillotine shearing for sheet-and-cut work, and continuous roll-fed roller die cutting for embossing, perforating, and kiss-cut output.
Continuous rotary slitters with adjustable blade stacks. Cylindrical spacers between the circular blades set the strip widths; many strips of equal or varied widths cut simultaneously from a wide web. Open-ended through-feed for long roll stock.
Guillotines across the floor: vintage cast-iron foot-treadle shears in a range of sizes, taking stock up to 72″. Used for trim work, breaking down sheet stock, and width-cuts where rotary slitting isn't the right fit.
Continuous roll-to-roll roller die cutters for embossing, perforating, and kiss-cutting from roll stock. Engraved cylinder rollers work against a backing roller; output spools straight to a take-up reel. Different process from the reciprocating presses: runs continuously, length limited only by roll length.
Custom tooling, low-volume work, marking, bonded assemblies, and post-process finishing for jobs that don't fit a production cutter.
Bench-mounted manual tooling for low-volume custom runs, prototype samples, and one-off seal-fitting. The right kit when setup time on a hydraulic press isn't justified.
Benchtop laser engravers for serialisation, batch codes, and custom branding on metal gaskets. Software-driven path, not a fixed pattern.
Heated platen presses for bonded multi-layer gaskets, rubber-to-metal liners, and composite seals. Programmable temperature and pressure across cold-pressing to elevated-temperature cure.
Custom jigs, gauges, templates, and trim dies cut to job. Die maintenance and resharpening on precision surface grinders keeps tooling at production tolerance for years.
Vibratory tumblers with ceramic media in a water-based compound. Rounds sharp edges and burnishes the surface on metal gasket components after cut, punch, or shear.
Our supply network across Australia, Europe, the US, and Asia covers specialised processes that don't fit a workshop card: non-standard mouldings, exotic-alloy machining, large-scale composite layup, and similar one-off work. If you've got a job that doesn't match anything above, send a drawing or a sample. We'll quote it the same way regardless of which machine runs it.
Send us a drawing or a sample, and we'll quote it on the right machine for the job.
Disclaimer
This resource is provided for general engineering reference only and does not constitute professional advice, specification, or guarantee of performance. Actual results depend on specific application conditions. Universal Gaskets Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for decisions made based on this information. For full terms, see our Terms & Conditions.
Specs shown are typical. Multiple units of most machine types are available, and per-job accuracy depends on material, part size, and geometry. For class-based tolerance bands by dimension range (DIN 7715-5, ISO 2768-1), see manufacturing tolerances.
