About
Prior to Chicago Gasket Company, Robert Huxley Martin had worked for another company using newly discovered material called PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) and was certain that it was going to be something big in the future.
In November of 1949, Mr. Martin bought Chicago Gasket Company from a man with one punch press machine and one typewriter in the basement of an old brewery built in 1880 on North Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Martin was the salesman and his wife took care of the office.
Eventually he added lathes and extruders and took up five floors of the building. One New Year’s Eve there was a fire in the building; it was put out without much damage, but the owner decided to tear it down. He asked Mr. Martin if Chicago Gasket Company would like to stay in a new building and design both the exterior and interior. Mr. Martin jumped at the idea.
The new one story building was built in 1970 and was much more efficient with an office area and a large plant for extrusion, ovens, billet molding presses, lathes and screw machines. The products were PTFE gaskets, o-rings and other seals. In 1971, automatic molding presses were brought in for even more efficiency. By 1980 sales had increased and the company needed more room so an addition was built which housed more ovens, secondary machines, locations for gages, maintenance, a lunch room and brand new CNC machines.
Chicago Gasket Company is currently in its third generation as a family owned and operated manufacturing company at the same location on North Avenue in Chicago. The future looks bright as we continue to improve our processes, efficiency, equipment and capabilities- and as a result, our customers gain benefit of a trusted, competent partner who can provide solutions to their most demanding requirements.