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Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation & Growth: The Eclipse Engineering Journey

Doug Montgomery • May 30, 2024

Humble Beginnings


In 1999, Eclipse Engineering’s founder, Cliff Goldstein, recognized an industry need for engineering support in the manufacturing and prototyping services sector. Eclipse was born with the goal of offering unparalleled service and custom engineered solutions for demanding applications.


Looking back 25 years, Eclipse Engineering started as a one-room schoolhouse. Cliff would spend mornings prospecting for business, afternoons working on CAD designs, and evenings machining parts. It was a family-run startup, with his wife Bobbi handling invoicing and bill payments, and even his mother labeling parts when she was around.

Growth and Expansion


After about six months, the business had grown enough to hire additional help. This was when the business really took off. Support from major national seal distributors played an instrumental role in getting the business off the ground. Thanks to local customers from Jemco Seal, Eclipse was on the move.


Initially, the goal was to run a basic plastics machine shop, with no intention of entering the seal market. However, inquiries started pouring in for seal manufacturing due to Eclipse’s engineering support, plastics machining expertise, and quick turnaround on parts. After about two years, Eclipse acquired all the seal business from Jemco Seal, along with their inventory, effectively establishing Eclipse as a seal distributor. This move complemented the fledgling distribution business that Eclipse had started independently.


A Major Milestone


Eclipse secured a major contract with Sundyne Pumps in Colorado, which launched the company into high gear. Over the years, Eclipse evolved to produce standard product offerings for a wide range of industries including Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Energy Production, Aerospace, Pharmacopeia, and Food Handling. The institution of the ISO9001/AS9100 quality system in 2015 allowed Eclipse to become a top-tier supplier.

Empowering Employees


Fast-forward 25 years, and Eclipse has expanded from a few pieces of equipment to seven CNC turning centers, a CNC mill, two laser welders, visual measurement machines and all the support equipment for a modern design and machining center. Our expert sales and engineering teams help design and produce sealing solutions for customers down the street to across the globe.


With 25 employees, five years ago, an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) was created. This plan empowered the employees who had been with Eclipse since the beginning—they now own a stake in Eclipse and can shape their own destiny. For our customers, this business continuity means our culture of quick responsiveness to their needs remains unchanged.


Customer-Centric Approach


Eclipse Engineering was founded on the concept that if the company placed its customers’ needs above its own, it would always profitably grow. This customer-centric approach has remained steadfast, even in the face of Covid and the challenges of a global economy. Eclipse has continually adapted to evolving customer requirements including the increasing need for quality certifications and regulatory compliance.

Looking Ahead


Today, Eclipse is a reliable supplier of polymer-style seals and bearings in the global marketplace. It’s the synergy between the employees and customers that has propelled Eclipse into the company it is today. As Eclipse celebrates its 25th anniversary, it looks forward to continuing its legacy of innovation, growth, and exceptional customer service.

By Doug Montgomery November 25, 2024
Eclipse has engineered sealing solutions for applications all over the planet and in a plethora of environments. From the bottom of the ocean to orbiting the earth, Eclipse is challenged by the unique conditions in each application. Whether it be extreme temperature and pressure or severely caustic or abrasive media, Eclipse has a solution for most every sealing problem. One distinct environment presents a particularly challenging set of circumstances for seal design – high radiation. Eclipse’s primary seal material choice for many applications is PTFE and PTFE blends. With all the wonderful attributes PTFE possesses as a seal material, radiation resistance is not one. In high radiation environments PTFE’s properties can degrade to essentially rule it out as a suitable material. The options for effective sealing materials that are also radiation resistant becomes very limited. The seal designer is therefore confronted with creating a seal that is expected to perform in every way a typical PTFE seal operates, out of materials that are not as favorable to sealing. This is where Eclipse’s engineering experience and expertise in seal design come to the forefront. The Client's Issue Eclipse was approached by a customer that was looking for a seal solution for a sensor used in a nuclear application. It would be operating in an environment with both high temperature and high Gamma radiation. Operating Conditions:
 Reciprocating Rod Seal
 Rod Diameter: Ø1.000
 Stroke: 1.5”
Cycle Rate: 2-4 cycles per minute
 Media: Air, Salt Water Mist
 Pressure: 100 PSI
 Temperature: 70° to 450°F
 Gamma Radiation Exposure: 10^6 rads
By Doug Montgomery November 14, 2024
Technological advancements in the area of robotics have led to more and more life-like creations existing only in works of science fiction a few decades ago. Development in autonomous logic processing and sensing allows bipedal robots to walk over uneven ground, up and down stairs, open doors and carry loads. Fast response to dynamic and unpredictable real-world environments is critical for the future use of robots in true-life service and practical employment in the years to come. While software and sensor development remain the primary focus of most research, the physical mechanics of next-gen robotics are also continually progressing. Physical components and control systems such as hydraulic pumps and cylinders, servo motors, and structural members are under pressure to continually be lighter, stronger, more efficient and less expensive. Increased demands on the physical components facilitate the need for innovative solutions in design and material usage. Advancements in construction and technology have spilled into all areas of robotic mechanisms and the many seals located throughout the system need to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Eclipse has been at the forefront of this research and has developed innovative solutions pushing the boundaries of conventional sealing devices. MicroLip™ by Eclipse is a prime example of most demanding applications forging new technologies in the sealing world. The Client's Issue Eclipse was approached by a leading robotics company looking for a sealing solution operating under a challenging set of conditions. While many components of tomorrow’s robotics are now controlled and actuated by servo/stepper motors and various electronic devices, the heaviest and most powerful movements are still driven by traditional hydraulics. The constant demand for more powerful hydraulic actuation in ever deceasing size and weight requirements has put tremendous strain on component design. But if robots are to progress to the point where they are usefully employed in the world, high power in a compact design is necessary. A robot, for example, used to survey and assist in a disaster zone too unstable for normal rescuers, must fit through doorways and over obstacles yet still be physically strong enough to render assistance. Large hydraulic systems are capable of moving extremely heavy loads but size and weight constraints of a humanoid size robot limit potential. The robot’s internal power supply to drive all components is also a limiting factor. Our client was developing a new hydraulic pump to drive all major motion aspects of their robotic systems. Their main objective was to minimize the pump’s physical size as much as possible while increasing output and improving power consumption efficiency. This means higher pressures and speeds on increasingly smaller and lighter components. Application Parameters: Shaft Diameter: Ø9.5mm Seal Housing Envelope: 5mm radial cross-section by 6mm axial width Rotational Speed: 3,500 RPM nominally; 6,000 RPM max Operating Pressure: 125 PSI min, 225 PSI nominal, 350 PSI max Surface Finish: 0.04µm Media: Hydraulic Oil While the above combination of pressure and speed might present difficulties for any conventional seal alone, the client’s extremely small physical envelope to house the seal further complicated the matter. If that wasn’t enough, the application presented the additional sealing challenge of up to 0.003” [0.08mm] of shaft runout. As part of the downsizing of all components in the pump, shaft support bearings were minimized leading to the possibility of runout. The wobbling effect of the shaft creates problems as the sealing lip has follow a moving, uneven mating surface, therefore potential leak-paths are created. Wear life can also be compromised due to higher concentrations of uneven loads. The combination of high pressure, high speed, high runout and minimal gland size present a worst-case scenario for a typical seal. Unsurprisingly, the client faced leakage of hydraulic fluid after only short periods of service with any conventional seal they had tested. Eclipse knew the had the perfect solution for this application. One developed to handle such extreme rotary sealing conditions: MicroLip™.
By Doug Montgomery October 14, 2024
How Eclipse reverse-engineered custom PTFE gaskets to restore a brewery’s historic equipment, ensuring leak-free connections and consistent, quality beer production.
By Doug Montgomery September 10, 2024
Custom piston seal rings by Eclipse enhance compressor performance, offering dry-run capability and extended wear life without hardware modifications.
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