What Type of Plastic for bearing? 6

[motorworks]

Hi
I get requests to make "plastic bearings" for shrimp and crab processing factories.They are usually 4.5"h x 4.5"w x 1.0"t blocks with the bore to fit the shaft.The shafts are polished stainless and slow turning (25-100 rpm)and are from .750" to 1.250" in diameter.They are usually in or near salt water.
?What material would work best.Nylon/UHMW/etc?
Thanks
eddie

 

[insideman]

Nylon would be good, but is difficult to machine accurately. UHMWPE is a marvelous material with phenomenal wear resistance and is worth a try. But I know nothing about machining it.

 

[JeffdlS]

UHMW is pretty easy to machine and would most likely work in your situation. You should be able to find the material pretty readily available. Places such as Grainger, MSC, etc. will have the thickness that you'll need.

Jeff de los Santos

 

[dcb278]

I used to work for a company that has used UHMWPE succesfully for years in similar applications. Very easy to machine.

 

[Like2Strike]

I sell a lot of this material for bearing purposes. The material is Nylon impregnated with Molybdenum Disufide (MDS). The Nylon is sold under the tradename "Nyloil-MDX"

 

[buut]

The best material for this solution you will find on the internet under

http://www.plasticbearings.com

from Wolf in germany. Some of these materials are the best I know for lifetime / wearresistance
Best regards,
Ernst

 

[noelbc]

As an alternate, consider castable polyurethanes. These are not plastics, but thermosets and offer good abrasion resistance, self lubricating in water and corrosion resistant in this environment. They are available in 70D or harder and additives are possible. In fact, UHMW chips are blended in the polyurethane to improve wear and reduce friction. Their forte is load carrying capacity. Crompton and Air Products offer the resins and curatives. Processor lists are available under

http://www.pmahome.org

(for U.S.) and

http://www.cumahome.org

(for Canada)

 

[joeswoes]

I would personally avoid a hydroscopic material like nylon for a shrimp/crab processing application. 100% agree with others that UHMWPE is the best.