Fasten-ating News

Innovation vs. Imitation in Sealing Solutions

For over 70 years, APM Hexseal Corp. has been an industry leader in the development and manufacture of sealing solutions capable of prolonging the service life of critical components—such as circuit breakers and switches—in extreme operational and environmental conditions. With seven decades of experience under our belt, we have unparalleled ability and knowledge in protecting vital components. In the field of sealing solutions, we lead the pack as the innovator, not just another imitator.

APM Hexseal’s History as an Innovator

During WWII, the U.S. military needed a way to protect vital components of electrical equipment in harsh battlefield conditions. Milton Morse, a self-taught engineer, responded with an ingenious solution. He invented a molded covering to protect the switch and the mounting panel from environmental assaults. This component was the original sealing boot and it was a huge success.

In 1947, Milton Morse and his wife Riva Solins Morse founded APM Hexseal. Their shared mission was to develop and manufacture sealing solutions that would protect circuit breakers and electromechanical switches from environmental damage, prolonging their service lives. Although APM Hexseal originally manufactured these sealing solutions for military use, in time many other industries came to value the protection they provide.

Of Milton Morse’s many inventions, one of the most commercially successful are his environmental sealing boots for electrical components. This innovative device has produced the majority of his company’s profits. Up til now, more than 50 million boots have been manufactured by APM Hexseal and sold to more than 200,000 customers worldwide.

Sealing boots are an inexpensive way to protect electrical and electronic switches from damage caused by many different hazardous substances such as water, dust, salt spray, oil, grease, solvents, lubricants and many others. The sealing boots also defend against the elements and other environmental conditions, including snow, wind, sun exposure, and pressure fluctuations from altitude changes.

The versatility of sealing boots lends the product to use in numerous industries. They have been employed in defense applications, such as aircraft carriers, submarines, Apollo space vehicles, Polaris missiles, and Patriot missile launch controls. Some of the product’s other industrial and commercial applications include use in aircraft, machine tools, pressure washers, waste treatment equipment, chemical processing equipment, and underwater lighting.

Milton Morse’s career spanned 50 years. He engineered technical solutions that have fueled development in a wide range of commercial, industrial, and military products and systems. His dedication to innovation is demonstrated by the 65 U.S. patents and 39 foreign patents he holds, including awards in Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Switzerland.

Milton Morse was still active well into his 80’s. He was even issued a patent as recently as January of 1995. In 1997, to commemorate his technological achievements, he was inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. Riva remained active into her 90’s and would still visit the office frequently until she passed in 2018, at the age of 100. Today, APM Hexseal remains a Morse Family owned business and proudly carries on Milton and Riva’s visions and legacies.

APM Hexseal’s Commitment to Quality

At APM Hexseal, we develop and manufacture a wide range of environmental sealing boots that cover and protect vital components such as potentiometers, circuit breakers, and various types of switches.

We also produce a line of sealing hardware and fasteners that are reusable and suitable for high-pressure applications. This product line includes self-sealing nuts, self-sealing screws, self-sealing rivets, self-sealing bolts, and sealing washers. All of these products are designed to seal potentially damaging elements both in and out of vulnerable electronic and mechanical systems.
As proof of our commitment to developing and manufacturing quality products, the majority of the products we manufacture are designed to meet IP66/68 ingress protection ratings. Additionally, they are UL recognized as meeting all applicable Canadian and USA enclosure protection standards.

Contact APM Hexseal Today

At APM Hexseal, we are proud of our long history of innovation and unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality solutions. We carry a comprehensive inventory of sealing hardware and silicone switch covers, including reusable, self-sealing fasteners and sealing washers.

For more information on the different elastomers we use for our products, download our eBook, “Elastomer, Shlastomer, Right?”. For assistance finding a sealing solution suitable for your unique application, Ask The Experts at APM Hexseal today.

Ever better.