Andrew Sykes MCGI
UK Mechanical Seal Consultant & Supplier

Areas of Specialist Expertise

• Mechanical seal design, supply, fitting, specification and failure analysis. This is the core of what I do. From initial specification through to supply, installation, and post-failure investigation I cover the full lifecycle. If a seal is failing repeatedly, I find out why. If you need a seal specifying for a difficult duty, I get it right first time. No distributor bias. No catalogue pushing. Just the right seal for the application.
• FFKM and perfluoroelastomer specification. Most suppliers will sell you FFKM when FKM would do the job. I'll tell you which grade you actually need, why, and what it will cost if you get it wrong.
• Every seal type, not just the catalogue sellers. Cartridge seals, component seals, bellows seals, encapsulated O-rings and gaskets. I specify what fits the job, not what fits the distributor's stock list.
• Original seal design, including double pressure cartridge seals. When a standard seal won't fit the pump or the duty, I design one that does. I've built double pressure cartridge seals for high pressure, high temperature and hazardous duties where the seal has to match what's actually happening in the field, not just the datasheet.
• DIN EN 12756 and DIN 24960 dimensional interchangeability. I use the current DIN EN 12756 standard, which superseded DIN 24960, to identify, cross reference and convert seals between manufacturers, including Type K and Type U configurations. If your current supplier's seal is underperforming, I can convert it to a better solution without waiting for their support.
• Packing and single seal to cartridge conversion. I convert old packed glands and single seals to cartridge seals on centrifugal, vacuum and process pumps. This includes thermosyphon systems for barrier fluid circulation on double seal arrangements.
• Reverse engineering on obsolete or unsupported applications. When an original seal fails and the manufacturer no longer supports it, I reverse engineer a replacement. Example: a Salvatore Robuschi pump handling tallow. Tallow solidifies at ambient temperature and destroys standard elastomer seals. I engineered a dual 90mm cartridge replacement to fit the existing pump envelope. It is still running.
• API 682 compliance. Seal selection, flush plan specification, and compliance auditing. I've worked to this standard across hundreds of applications. If your installation isn't compliant or your flush plan isn't matched to your duty, I'll find it.
• DEF-STAN 02-337. Elastomer selection for UK defence applications. One of very few independent consultants in the UK with hands on experience of this standard.
• NORSOK M710. Qualification of non-metallic sealing materials for subsea and offshore duties. If your supplier can't evidence M710 compliance, you need a second opinion before you commit.
• USP Class VI and FDA compliant elastomer selection. Pharmaceutical and food grade sealing where the wrong material choice isn't just expensive, it's a batch failure or a regulatory problem. I specify it right first time.

Career Background

Andrew began his career as a coded welder and fabricator, earning full City & Guilds qualifications in TIG, MIG, and stick welding, qualified to ASME IX. That hands-on foundation, combined with an HNC in Materials Technology with National Award ,gave him a level of practical engineering understanding that most consultants simply don't have. He knows how metal behaves under pressure, at temperature, and in aggressive chemistry. Not from a textbook. From doing the work. He moved into the sealing industry and built a specialist sealing business from scratch ,which was subsequently acquired by J A Harrison. He then founded Acumen Seals & Pumps Ltd in 1999 on a single principle: an independent specialist with no manufacturer loyalty will always give better advice than a distributor with a catalogue target. Since then he has delivered the Sealing Excellence Programme internationally in Sweden, Austria, Ireland, and the Philippines, and has maintained a distribution partnership through Assistco in the Philippines for over 20 years.