It does not always take metal components to keep technical systems running – plastics may offer a viable alternative for moving parts and also sliding points, with the special benefit of reducing their weight. If the right material is chosen, bearings may not even be required, but the whole component can be made of the plastic that is suitable for the sliding point.
However, the use of plastics for such purposes requires profound knowledge of the material characteristics. For the interested, there are now seminars where participants can learn about frequently used thermoplastic materials as well as high-performance plastic materials for tribological applications, which can be injection-moulded to complex components fulfilling a wide variety of functions at a time.
In these seminars, engineers and technicians working in production, R&D and design are informed about sliding and wear tests conducted with plastic/steel and plastic/plastic material pairings, especially when running without wet lubrication, what effects special additives and reinforcement materials may have and how to optimally lubricate plastic plain bearings.
It‘s quite in here! Why not leave a response?