bearings
- October 28, 2019
About Vesconite's Hilube
Internally-lubricated, the ultra-low friction Hilube polymer has no stick-slip, doesn’t swell and provides a wear life ten times that of bronze. It machines to +/-0.001″, making it ideal for applications with tight tolerances.
Breaking World Records with Hilube
The team that was awarded the Guinness World Record in 2017 for the longest distance covered by a miniature steam train is setting its sights on improving its record.
Keyser Locomotive Works, together with the Pietermaritzburg Model Engineering Society was able to cover 330km (205 miles) in 24 hours in its record-breaking attempt, which outstripped the previous 1994 record of 269km covered in 24 hours.
- August 27, 2019
Vesconite, a market leader in grease-free polymer bushings and wear materials, has developed a food-grade, high-temperature, abrasion-resistant bearing poloymer.
The polymer is known as Hitemp 150 FG (food grade), and its name signifies that it can be used in applications that run at temperatures up to 150ºC and in which food contact is incidental or likely.
The previous version of Hitemp 150 did not explicitly use food grade ingredients, but, as a result from calls from the food industry to produce a similar hard-wearing product for use in food applications, alternative ingredients were sought for food safety.
“We have produced this Hitemp 150 FG product in which a food-approved ingredients have been used,” comments technical sales representative Eddie Swanepoel.
- July 30, 2019
PTFE and its many applications
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has an interesting history and has been used in a number of ways over the years. There is, of course, the best-known PTFE brand Teflon® – the miracle cookware coating. But PTFE is also used in aerospace and computer wiring, and it’s even coated the fiberglass dome of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. But the Metrodome isn’t the only sports-related application for PTFE. Because it’s so slippery and resistant to extreme temperature changes and chemical reactions, PTFE is an excellent component for many parts such as: bearings, gears, and of course, seals – like those used in so many motorsport vehicles. So, what role does PTFE play in the exciting world of motorsports?
PTFE in racing cars and trucks
TRITEC Seal’s PTFE rotary lip seals can be found in the race cars of nearly every
- June 25, 2019
The Dakar Rally - What is it?
The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar") is an annual rally raid organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Since its inception in 1977, most races took place from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal. But due to security threats in Mauritania, which led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, races since 2009 have been held in South America. The race is open to both amateur and professional entries, of which amateurs typically comprise of eighty percent of all participants.
The race is an off-road endurance event. The terrain that the competitors traverse is much tougher than that used in conventional rallying, and the vehicles used are true off-road vehicles rather than modified on-road vehicles. Most of the competitive special sections are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks, and erg among others. The distances of each stage covered vary from short distances up to 800–900 kilometres (500–560 mi) per day.
Vesconite
- April 30, 2019
In 2018, Vesconite Bearings made a commitment to the U.S. market, increasing its readily available stock of Vesconite polymers and Vesconite Hilube in order to deliver quickly to customers.
Vesconite Bearings manufactures two main product types:
- Vesconite is a specialised hard-wearing thermopolymer designed for challenging operating conditions, Vesconite gives up to 10 times the life of traditional bronze or nylon bushings. Combining internal lubrication, a low friction coefficient and low wear rates, Vesconite does not require external lubrication, even where conditions are dry and dirty.
- Vesconite Hilube is a highly advanced thermopolymer in the
- March 16, 2019
Six Vesconite Superlube load pads that have been recovered from South African rail parastatal Transnet’s Sishen-Saldanha-line bogies show little wear after two years of use.
This is according to Dr Jean-Patrick Leger, the CEO of Vesconite Bearings, which makes the polymer load pads that are installed on railway bogies - the metal structures on which the rail wheels and axles are mounted and on which railway vehicles lie.
“What is interesting is that the samples are hardly worn at all,” he says.
“We see tiny areas where there is 0.1mm wear, but you can see the original machining marks and machine ridges on most of them.”
The Vesconite Superlube load pads have been specified for many
- February 14, 2019
Test-work on Vesconite polymer sliding wear plates have shown promising results on a crawler drill that is employed at a zinc project in the Northern Cape, South Africa.
The wear plates were installed on the rotary head slide of a drill that carries out exploration drilling at the mine from which the goal is to exploit one of the largest zinc orebodies in the world.
The rotary head moves the drill into the ground for deeper and shallower drilling. It also allows the drill to be changed.
Since the rotary head moves approximately 120 times a day, wear on the slides has been considerable, and the original-equipment-manufacturer’s (OEM’s) nylon wear pads were only lasting 500 hours.
As a result, the OEM crawler drill supplier involved in the zinc project sought a solution to extend the life of its wear pads and investigated other wear-resistant materials that could cope with highly-abrasive materials such as chrome and silica that come in contact with
- December 11, 2018
CIP Composites are laminated polymer materials made by impregnating textiles with thermoset resins. Solid lubricants are added to the resin to provide evenly dispersed lubrication throughout the material, providing smooth operation.
CIP custom composite wear rings are a superior alternative to commonly used cotton phenolic and glass filled nylon materials. They allow smooth operation and high side loads while protecting the sealing elements and preventing metal to metal contact in hydraulic cylinders. CIP wear rings are preferred where high performance, large diameters and/or high temperatures are required.
CIP Composite wear rings provide manufacturers and servicers alike with solutions to reduce overall maintenance and increase wear life. CIP offers short lead times, reducing the costs associated with equipment downtime and repairs. CIP Composites are manufactured in the United States using only the highest quality materials.
- November 15, 2018
Vesconite’s origins lie in the gold mining industry, a notoriously harsh working environment. The product was developed as a maintenance-free alternative to bronze bushings traditionally used in mining equipment. Unlike bronze, Vesconite eliminates three key issues: The need for regular lubrication; the effects of dirt and grit on costly components; the damage caused by water to traditional bushing materials. Vesconite offers up to 10 times the lifespan of traditional bushes in these harsh conditions, and saves hours of downtime caused by machines requiring frequent lubrication.
Vesconite Bushings on a Vertical Borer Stabilizer Rod
South Africa - A earth-boring company was looking for a durable material to create stabilizers for its borer machines. The machine bores between levels in mines and is capable of boring chutes up to 120m. The drill steel is subject to high levels of grit and rock. The Vesconite stabilizers help align the drill steel, thereby avoiding whip in the drill. Despite the dirty conditions, the new stabilizers required no lubrication between recommended overhaul schedules, and general maintenance and downtime were substantially reduced.
- October 30, 2018
Equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and drill service providers have become highly competitive to secure remaining contracts in order to stay operational during this recent downturn in the industry. Looking for new strategies to succeed in this current market, companies are investigating alternative products and designs to maximize flexibility and efficiencies. Whether in the exploring, drilling, or production of oil, equipment manufacturers are looking for products that provide high levels of performance that will set themselves apart from the competition.
Bearing materials in the oil & gas industry are presented with the most demanding conditions requiring high load capacity in poor environments and sporadic service schedules. Columbia Industrial Products offer CIP Composites to the oil & gas industry as light weight, self-lubricating composite materials that have a long service life. Although commonly used for bearings, wear pads and thrust washers, CIP’s ability to provide large custom size solutions give the oil & gas industry the ability to use our materials in a wide range of applications. CIP Composites are ideal for replacing greased bronze bearings, and can be easily installed by press fitting or freeze fitting with the ability to machine in place.