bearings

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube are advanced engineering thermoplastics with a unique combination of properties ideally suited to bearing applications in the agriculture industry. Tried and tested in countless industrial settings over the past five decades, both locally and internationally, Vesconite thrives where traditional bronze and steel bushings often fail. In both dry, wet, dirty and unlubricated environments, Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube have proved themselves time and time again as long-lasting, low-maintenance bearing alternatives. Whether you're a farmer, repairer or manufacturer of harvesters, planters, sprayers, harrows, etc, Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube should be considered as bushing and wear material substitutes.

I can't understand why more farmers don't use Vesconite.
-Old Farmer

This comment was made by an old farmer who had driven 185 miles (300km) to buy Vesconite bushings from our Johannesburg sales office.  We can’t help but agree with this sentiment – that any farmer who hasn’t tried Vesconite for bushes, and other sliding wearing parts is unwittingly creating unnecessary work and expense for themself.

Industrial applications can be found in many industries and range from hydraulic cylinders to heavy duty equipment. Many industrial applications are in harsh environments including dirt and mud, chemicals, a range of temperatures, and hard to reach locations, making maintenance a challenge. Equipment down time for maintenance and repairs can be detrimental to the industry.

CIP Composites offers solutions for rigorous industrial applications by extending wear life while reducing or eliminating external lubricants and undesired maintenance. As a general guide, CIP Composite bushing materials can replace your current bronze or nylon based wear and bearing materials. Sold in tubes or sheets for easy machining onsite, or custom manufactured with short lead times.

Hydraulic & Pneumatic

Hydraulic cylinders are the ideal choice for a host of mobile and industrial applications where power and reliability, along with low operating costs are required. Hydraulic (and even pneumatic and electrical actuator) cylinders are handling more demanding applications than in previous years, such as the use of smaller cylinders which force higher and higher operating pressures. Manufacturers and servicers alike depend on quality components to ensure that their finished product meet or exceeds the customer requirements including long service life, affordability, and availability.