Any unsealed electrical devices mounted to a control panel or piece of electrical equipment can fall victim to the impacts of hostile environmental factors if not properly protected. In this context, “environmental” is a very broad term, encompassing any number of possible factors, including weather conditions like rain, snow or prolonged wind and sun exposure, pressure changes from submersion in fluids or changes in altitude, contaminants such as water, ice, salt, air, dust, dirt, grease, chemicals, and even spilled beverages.
In order to protect against these threats, APM Hexseal designed and patented the very first Sealing Boot in the late 1940s and, in doing so, set the standards for the developing industry to follow.
APM Hexseal’s Sealing Boots and Bushing Seals provide strong protection for both the external and internal workings of a device, ensuring the safety, reliability and overall function of the system as a whole.
APM Hexseal’s Sealing Boots and Bushing Seals are available in a variety of styles and install easily over the vast majority of standard electro-mechanical switches and devices on the market.
Toggle Boots
Toggle switches have been widely used across all sorts of industries for a very long time. With their straightforward, back and forth actuation making them easy to operate, toggle switches have continued to be one of the more common styles of switch used today. The long life of the toggle switch has given APM Hexseal the opportunity to develop a variety of designs over the years, incorporating different sealing techniques to cater to a broad range of switch applications and installation environments. The majority of APM Hexseal toggle boots are a single piece design, molded from silicone over a threaded mounting nut. Our designs include fully enclosed toggle boots that cover the entirety of a switch, as well as half boots that leave a portion of the toggle bat exposed. No matter the variation, all APM Hexseal designs include our signature sealing rib that ensures a secure seal with the mounting panel, and are extremely effective toggle switch sealing solutions.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
For APM Hexseal® Standard Threaded Toggle Boots
Mounting Nut: Brass, Nickel Plated
Elastomer: Silicone conforms to A-A-59588, Class 3A, GR50 †, Gray ‡
Temperature Range: -103° F to +400° F ( -75° C to +204° C)
Resistant to: Splash, salt spray, sunlight, ozone, weather, fungus, dust, and most acids and lubricating oils.
Shelf Life: Excess of 25 years.
*IQ Toggle Boots “Install Quickly” over pre-installed switches.
**Toggle Boot with EMI/RFI Shielding.
Half & Open Toggle Boots
*“Ultra Flex” Half-Toggle Boot with patented inverted bellows design for use with sensitive switches. (No image shown.)
**Open Toggle Boot for lever lock switches. (No image shown.)
Pushbutton Boots
Pushbutton Boots
As the name clearly suggests, a pushbutton switch is actuated using a push, or press, motion. Though this is very different from the actuation motion of a toggle switch, the mounting method is often much the same, making it possible to use a similarly designed silicone boot with a threaded mounting nut. Looking to protect a more complicated pushbutton switch that cannot be sealed with a standard threaded boot? That’s not a problem. Available in both full boot and half boot varieties, APM Hexseal Pushbutton Boots provide excellent sealing protection for pushbutton switches of all styles and sizes.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
For APM Hexseal® Standard Threaded Pushbutton Boots
Mounting Nut: Brass, Nickel Plated
Elastomer: Silicone conforms to A-A-59588, Class 3A, GR50 †, Gray ‡
Temperature Range: -103° F to +400° F ( -75° C to +204° C)
Resistant to: Splash, salt spray, sunlight, ozone, weather, fungus, dust, and most acids and lubricating oils.
Shelf Life: Excess of 25 years.
*Armored Pushbutton Boot. (No image shown.)
† Pushbutton Boot with EMI/RFI Shielding. (No image shown.)
‡ Flat Top Pushbutton Boot.
**Boot is made from APM Hexseal’s clear RUBRGLAS™
Rotary Boots
Rotary Boots
Rotary switches are unique in that they operate with a twisting motion as opposed to a push or press motion. The central shaft of a rotary device must be free to rotate, which can make sealing a rotary device more complicated to accomplish. Since a full-coverage boot does not work for a rotary device, APM Hexseal developed a specialized open boot, molded from silicone to a threaded mounting nut that once correctly mounted, seals around the rotating shaft as well as to the mounting panel. These boots are specifically designed to withstand the friction created by the shaft rotation without restricting the actuation motion.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
For APM Hexseal® Standard Threaded Rotary Boots
Mounting Nut: Brass, Nickel Plated
Elastomer: Silicone conforms to A-A-59588, Class 3A, GR50 †, Gray ‡
Temperature Range: -103° F to +400° F ( -75° C to +204° C)
Resistant to: Splash, salt spray, sunlight, ozone, weather, fungus, dust, and most acids and lubricating oils.
Shelf Life: Excess of 25 years.
Circuit Breaker Boots
Circuit Breaker Boots
Circuit breakers perform a very valuable role in all sorts of different control systems, protecting equipment from short circuits and electrical overloads. APM Hexseal’s lever-actuated circuit breaker boots are designed to protect these critical devices, extending breaker life-spans and in turn helping to ensure long-term security of the system as a whole. Created from APM Hexseal’s transparent silicone RUBRGLAS®, which is specially formulated to maintain clarity and prevent yellowing over time, these boots allow for easy device operation and status recognition while maintaining APM Hexseal’s exceptional environmental protection from weather exposure, wash downs, salt water, lubricants, solvents, dust, dirt, grease and any number of other environmental elements that could potentially threaten electrical components. Our two distinct boot styles are Back-of-Panel, secured behind the breaker mounting panel, and Front-of-Panel, mounted to the outside of a panel using a sturdy metal frame. All designs feature a continuous sealing rib around the underside of the flange to ensure a consistent, reliable seal.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
For APM Hexseal® Lever-Actuated Circuit Breaker Boots
Elastomer: : APM HEXSEAL RUBRGLAS™ (transparent Silicone) conforms to A-A-59588, Class 3A, GR50 †
Frame (Front-Panel Mounted Only): Low Carbon Steel ‡, Zinc-Chromate Finish
Temperature Range: -103° F to +400° F ( -75° C to +204° C)
Resistant to: Splash, salt spray, sunlight, ozone, weather, fungus, dust, and most acids and lubricating oils.
Shelf Life: Excess of 25 years.
Rocker Boots
Rocker Boots
Unlike traditional toggle, pushbutton and rotary switches, rocker switches do not utilize a round threaded mounting bushing, and therefore a Rocker Boot does not include a threaded mounting nut. In fact, most of APM Hexseal’s Rocker Boots do not include an insert or frame of any kind. The majority of our Rocker Boots are designed to install on the switch prior to the switch installation. Much like our Lever-Actuated Circuit Breaker Boots, APM Hexseal’s Rocker Boots are often molded from transparent silicone RUBRGLAS® which allows for easy viewing of the switch position.
MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS
For APM Hexseal® Standard Rocker Boots
Elastomer: : APM HEXSEAL RUBRGLAS™ (transparent Silicone) conforms to A-A-59588, Class 3A, GR50 †
Temperature Range: -103° F to +400° F ( -75° C to +204° C)
Resistant to: Splash, salt spray, sunlight, ozone, weather, fungus, dust, and most acids and lubricating oils.
Shelf Life: Excess of 25 years.
