The materials used in the chemical/petrochemical industry need to be capable of coping with the large array of media, many of them explosive or toxic and others which could become when mixed. An increased awareness of environmental risks calls for a maximum reliability and operational safety, especially from sealing systems. Against this background, the sealing systems used in applications involving what are in many cases explosive, toxic or aggressive media have to ensure optimum tightness. On the other hand they should also help optimize processes and thus be of advantage where the economic aspects are concerned as well. From non-critical sealing points – for which standard solutions are deployed – right through to highly complex system solutions required where particularly difficult operating conditions are concerned.