A Delaware-Based Innovation Hub for More Than 200 Years

DuPont continues to develop advanced Innovation, Training, and performance O-rings locally

BY DOUGLAS HOPEK

IN THE EARLY 1970S, as technology requirements increased for O-rings, multiple industries demanded an elastomer O-ring that could withstand extreme temperatures, resist harsher chemicals, and enable durability beyond any other existing elastomer materials available at the time. DuPont responded with Kalrez®, a specialized perfluoroelastomer used in a variety of sealing applications that require the most stringent performance attributes. And it all started in Delaware.

While DuPont didn’t invent O-rings or specialty sealants, we are proud of our extensive track record of innovation and technological advances in Delaware. Scientists at the DuPont Experimental Station in Delaware developed advanced Kalrez® O-rings that stand up to the most challenging operating environments. In fact, without perfluoroelastomer O-rings many industries could not deliver end-products today, such as semiconductor chips.

An O-ring is a seal, often connecting different components together in equipment or an operating system instead of welding components together. Semiconductor processing environments present significant challenges for elastomer seals, as operating system conditions often include extreme heat, aggressive plasma, and chemicals. Kalrez® O-rings can withstand temperatures in excess of 300 °C with chemical resistance to more than 1,800 different chemicals, enabling them to play a pivotal role in semiconductor chip processing equipment. In addition, from aerospace to chemical processing to transportation to oil and gas applications, DuPont™ Kalrez® O-rings are engineered to provide more stability, more resistance, and more effective sealing in a wide range of applications.

The Kalrez® business manufactures O-rings at DuPont’s Tralee Park facility located in Newark, Delaware. The facility has supported the Kalrez® business and been active in the community for more than 40 years. The business has expanded its portfolio of advanced solutions for customers and added new team members and jobs over the years. Currently, DuPont manufactures thousands of unique Kalrez® O-rings and parts in Delaware every day, with hundreds of new customer solutions added each month.

The future growth prospects for the Kalrez® business are bright and that is why in 2018 we announced plans to expand our manufacturing presence in Delaware with the purchase of a new facility in Newark. Our new facility is planned to be twice the size of the current operating facility and include new state-of-the-art equipment and advanced manufacturing capabilities—such as upgraded clean-room facilities—to meet the future quality and performance demands of evolving industries and customers. In addition, the new Kalrez® operating facility is expected to add dozens of new jobs and further enhance the local economy.

The Kalrez® business is proud to call Delaware home. We remain committed to investing for growth locally while developing and retaining our highly skilled employees who work every day to fulfill our purpose of empowering the world with the essential innovations to thrive.

Douglas Hopek is the global business director for DuPont’s precision parts and solutions group.