Many types of heavy machinery, equipment, and work vehicles incorporate bearings, bushings, and wear pads in moving parts and assemblies. They keep components aligned and spaced properly, ensure good fit between parts, and reduce wear and tear in spots where parts come together. For example,
- Bearings allow for linear and rotational movement
- Bushings provide a reliable bearing surface for rotary applications
- Wear pads protect surfaces from excessive wear and tear
These components can be made from many different materials with different properties. When choosing the appropriate raw material, it is important to select the one with the best combination of properties that is appropriate for the application at hand.
WS Hampshire brings decades of industry experience and material expertise to develop non-metallic alternatives to traditional bearing, bushing, and wear pad materials used in industrial machinery applications. We have access to both domestic and global sources for raw materials, and full-service CNC machining and fabrication capabilities for nearly unlimited production options.
Read on to learn how bushings, bearings, and wear pads from WS Hampshire can reduce downtime, improve equipment reliability, and extend the lifespan of industrial components.
The Impact of Material Selection on Downtime
Choosing the right material for the job usually means finding the best balance between material strength, hardness, corrosion resistance, and other qualities. This allows for maximum service life of the bearing, bushing, or wear pad, and also keeps equipment and machinery in good repair. And of course, less downtime due to maintenance, repair, or replacement of worn parts.
Engineered composite materials like thermoset plastics, thermoplastics, fiberglass, and laminates have two important jobs. First they must protect equipment and parts, and second, they must be able to withstand the rigors of regular operation, such as:
- Chemical Exposure
- Load Capacity
- Operational Temperature Range
Whether equipment failure is the result of direct damage to parts and mechanisms, or due to a breakdown of protective components like bearings or wear pads, the result is often unplanned downtime, disrupted production, and extra costs.
Extending Part Life Through Material Selection
Selecting an appropriate material for the equipment and application helps to optimize productive time in manufacturing, processing, and other industrial operations. Common non-metal materials for bearings, bushings, and wear pads generally fall into two broad types.
Thermoset plastics
These polymers undergo chemical changes due to heat, UV light, or other catalysts and become “set” in their new shape permanently. They cannot be melted or remolded, and instead will degrade when exposed to high temperatures.
Thermosets tend to be very rigid, hard, temperature-resistant, and structurally stable. They can also be reinforced with fiberglass, carbon fiber, or Kevlar for added strength and durability.
One common example is Ryertex composite materials, which are low friction, high temperature resistant, fiber-reinforced polymers. They can replace metal components in high load, high speed, high temperature applications.
Thermoplastics
In contrast, thermoplastics can be molded, formed, or machined, then can be remelted and formed into a new shape. They are impact, chemical, and corrosion resistant and are good at reducing vibrations in equipment.
Thermoplastics generally have a low coefficient of friction, high mechanical strength, stiffness, and hardness, can be mixed with fillers or rubber to improve flexibility, and take paint or coatings well.
Some common thermoplastics include:
- Nylon
- Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE)
- Acetal, also known as polyoxymethylene (POM)
- PET plastic
- PEEK
Return on Investment (ROI)
Using the best material for your application helps to extend the service life of machines and equipment by protecting parts that touch or move against each other. Damage and wear from vibration, abrasion, or rust can be greatly reduced with bearings, bushings, and wear pads that are strong, inert barriers between pieces.
As a result, equipment components do not need to be repaired or replaced as frequently, which boosts uptime. Investing in high-quality materials increases initial costs, but there is a return on investment thanks to:
- Decreased downtime
- Lower labor costs
- Reduced maintenance requirements
- Less frequent part replacement
Invest in Reliability – Choose WS Hampshire
At WS Hampshire, we specialize in custom fabrication of non-metallic wear pads and other components from materials including Timco Technical Thermoplastics and Ryertex® Composites. With years of experience working closely with a variety of thermoset and thermoplastic materials, we can help you select the best material for your application and develop a custom solution.
Contact us today to learn more about our material selection and capabilities.