Topog-E Gasket Co

The Topog-E® Gasket Company has been manufacturing rubber gaskets for steam, air and water applications since 1956.The company was started by Frank Maxwell Thomas, a combustion engineer. Frank formed Thomas Engineering in 1948, selling steam boilers and hot water heaters.     The company’s initial move into rubber gaskets was prompted by a customer’s question to Frank: “why couldn’t a boiler gasket be made out of rubber?” The fibrous gaskets used at the time were unreliable, leading to lengthy and expensive downtime whilst the gasket was removed and the shell and plates were chiselled and buffed. Frank set to work, and the Topog-E® Gasket Company was established. Frank began with a jigsaw and sheet rubber, and he named his invention Topog-E ®(from Topography and Engineering) because the gasket was able to conform to the topography of the mating surfaces. Having established a compound that worked in the hostile steam environment, he hired a rubber technologist to refine the proprietary mixture. He created Topog-E’s own rubber laboratory and acquired manufacturing equipment to begin production of the first molded rubber boiler gaskets.

Today, Topog-E still mixes its own compound and manufactures the gaskets on site, making approximately 1 million gaskets per year in over 300 sizes. Two generations on, Frank’s family is still running the company, with the same focus, commitment and passion as the day Frank started.     From its humble beginnings the Topog-E Gasket Company is now a globally represented enterprise that continues to invest in new technology, increase its production capacity and extend its research and development program to expand and enhance its range of gaskets.     The original line of rubber gaskets, now known as Series 180 gaskets, has been complemented by Series 2000 gaskets manufactured from exfoliated graphite – providing the superior sealing capabilities that Topog-E is famous for; Series 2000 gaskets are designed specifically for medium and high pressure/temperature applications.