Around the world, designers of commercial and military aerospace and defense systems trust Bal Seal Engineering’s springs and seals to protect critical equipment from leakage and potential failure. Our products help make equipment smaller, lighter, faster, and more power efficient.
Products for Aerospace & Defense
Bal Seal® Spring Energized Seal
Our seals are precision-machined from PTFE and other premium polymers, and they’re engineered to deliver longer service life and more equipment uptime. Their spring energizers ensure even, consistent wear, and their jacket materials can be customized to meet specific temperature, pressure, speed and chemical compatibility requirements in rotary, reciprocating, oscillating, and static applications.
Product Features
- Controllable friction forces
- Excellent media and temperature resistance
- Wear-regulating spring energizer
Bal Spring® Canted Coil Spring
Our spring mechanically fastens, conducts electricity, and shields sensitive electronics from EMI/RFI. Its independent coils, which serve as multiple contact points for optimal current carrying capability, ensure consistent, reliable connection—even under shock and vibration. The spring can also serve as a thermal management component.
Product Features
- Superior conductivity & power density
- Compact, space-saving profile
- Multifunctional for lighter, simpler designs
- Customizable insertion/removal forces
Commercial Applications
Defense Applications
Weapons Systems
Bal Spring® canted coil springs provide electrical conductivity and mechanical latching for arming and firing systems.
UAV Actuators
Bal Seal® spring-energized rotary seals maintain pressure while excluding moisture and debris.
Gimbals and Pods
Bal Seal® spring-energized low friction seals protect sensitive electronics and exhibit minimal “stiction” force for jitter-free target tracking.
Communications Gear
Bal Spring® canted coil springs in push-pull connectors mechanically latch and hold data connections.
Aerospace Industry Achievements
Sealing in Space
When it comes to space travel, we’re frequent flyers. During Apollo missions, astronauts used tools with our seals in them to sample and store lunar soil. We’ve been helping NASA and others reach for the stars ever since.
Making Tracks on Mars
As part of the Curiosity Rover mission, our seals traveled >560 million kilometers. Today, they’re still protecting the rover’s drive mechanisms from the harsh Martian environment.
Supersonic Shielding
At nearly twice the speed of sound, even a little interference can cause big problems. That’s why defense aircraft designers use our Bal Spring® to shield sensitive onboard electronics against EMI.
Aerospace & Defense Customer Successes
“Bal Seals did fly as part of the Flight Rover Differential Mechanism on the MSL Curiosity Rover. I appreciate the work your team did for us in this application.”
Ben Riggs, Mars Curiosity Rover Engineer
NASA/JPL
“When I saw the Bal Spring®, a light bulb went off. The multi-point coil contact provided exceptional grounding – zero resistance across the path. It was the ideal solution.”
Hans Raven, Engineer
ATK/Northrop Grumman
Technical Resources
Industry Catalog
Application Bulletin
Material Data Sheet
What’s New?
The market for military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also...
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If you're developing an electrical connector for a defense...
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Electrical connectors often employ separate mechanical latching and EMI/RFI...
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To maximize gimbal performance, it’s essential to use a...
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