On the first Friday of October, manufacturers around the country are coming together to help educate about and change public perception of the manufacturing industry. The event is called Manufacturing Day. It is a growing movement of companies dedicated to helping overcome the shared issues of the industry.

Chief among those many important issues is how the public perceives manufacturing. Thousands of manufacturing facilities and educational institutions around the nation will be opening their doors to the public via workshops, open houses, public tours, and other events. The goal is to expose people to the realities of modern manufacturing and sing the praises of the industry’s role in a growing economy.

One common misconception is that the modern manufacturing worker is low-skilled and underpaid. According to the Manufacturing Day campaign, the annual average salary of manufacturing workers is more than $77,000. And 90 percent receive medical benefits. The industry is filled with innovation from automation to 3D printing and more.

Fluid power systems are a mainstay in the manufacturing industry and few elements are more important than the hydraulic and pneumatic sealing technologies. We know a thing or two on the topic. Martin Fluid Power Seals is a leader in developing, refining, and distributing o-ring seals to meet nearly any system design.

O-rings may appear to be simple rubber rings, but don’t be fooled. The science behind each unique o-ring is complex. Not many people could tell you why a peroxide cross-linked perfluoroelastomer o-ring is better suited for the aerospace industry because it offers high chemical resistance, high temperature resistance, and low temperature flexibility. Low-skilled work? You might as well need a Ph.D. to understand that sentence.

MFP Seals o-rings are the culmination of decades of extensive research and development in applied chemistry and physics.

This year will be the sixth annual Manufacturing Day event. Last year saw 2,807 events in all 50 states with roughly 600,000 visitors. For more information or to locate an event near you visit Manufacturing Day.