Self-lubricating bearings are quietly transforming industries worldwide, offering unparalleled benefits such as reduced maintenance, enhanced reliability, and improved sustainability. But how exactly do they work, and why are they increasingly becoming the go-to choice for engineers across various sectors?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the mechanics of self-lubricating bearings, their cutting-edge materials, diverse applications, and their significant impact on the future of engineering. Whether you’re an industry professional or a curious reader, this deep dive will leave you informed and inspired. Feel free to also explore findings from Nasa’s research center.
1. The Mechanics of Self-Lubricating Bearings
At their core, self-lubricating bearings are engineered to reduce friction and wear without requiring external lubrication. This is achieved through an innovative internal system that ensures consistent performance.
The Science Behind It
Porous Materials: These bearings are often made from sintered bronze, composites, or advanced polymers, which contain microscopic pores filled with lubricant.
Heat and Pressure Activation: During operation, friction generates heat, causing the lubricant to seep from the pores, creating a thin film that minimizes wear and reduces friction.
Key Benefits
Enhanced Performance: Reliable operation even in high-load or high-temperature environments.
Longer Lifespan: Reduced wear means these bearings often outlast their traditional counterparts.
Maintenance-Free: No need for routine lubrication, saving time and resources.
2. Advanced Materials and Their Role
The materials used in self-lubricating bearings are pivotal to their performance, dictating their load capacity, temperature tolerance, and suitability for specific applications.
Material Breakdown
Bronze Bearings: Infused with oil, these are ideal for heavy-duty operations and extreme temperatures.
Polymer Bearings: Lightweight and corrosion-resistant, perfect for applications in wet or chemically aggressive environments.
Metal-Polymer Composites: These combine the strength of metals with the low-friction properties of polymers, offering versatile solutions.
Cutting-Edge Innovations
Modern advancements have pushed the boundaries of material science. For instance:
Bearings capable of withstanding temperatures up to 500°F.
High-strength composites designed for aerospace and defense, enduring extreme pressures and harsh conditions.
3. Applications That Push the Limits
Self-lubricating bearings thrive in challenging environments where traditional lubrication systems often fail. Let’s explore their applications across various industries.
Usage: Found in steering systems, suspension, and transmission components.
Benefits: Maintenance-free operation enhances reliability and reduces overall vehicle weight.
Aerospace
Usage: Lightweight bearings are used in landing gear and control systems.
Benefits: Lower fuel consumption and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures and pressures.
Food Processing
Usage: Employed in conveyors and mixers.
Benefits: Made from FDA-approved materials, they ensure safety and hygiene.
Medical Devices
Usage: Found in surgical instruments and diagnostic equipment.
Benefits: Silent operation and zero maintenance requirements make them indispensable.
Pro Insight:
Industries are continuously discovering new applications, leveraging the adaptability and efficiency of self-lubricating bearings.
4. The Long-Term Benefits of Self-Lubricating Bearings
Switching to self-lubricating bearings is more than just an operational upgrade; it’s a strategic move with long-term advantages.
Cost Savings
Eliminate the need for lubrication systems, reducing upfront and ongoing expenses.
Lower maintenance costs and downtime.
Environmental Impact
Reduced dependency on oil-based lubricants.
Less waste and lower carbon footprint contribute to sustainability goals.
Enhanced Reliability
Consistent performance under varying conditions reduces the risk of equipment failure.
Increased uptime translates to better productivity and profitability.
Sustainability Spotlight
Industries are leveraging self-lubricating bearings to meet stringent environmental regulations without compromising performance or efficiency.
Conclusion: The Future of Engineering
Self-lubricating bearings represent a technological breakthrough that saves time, money, and resources while delivering unmatched reliability. As industries push the boundaries of innovation, these bearings will continue to play a critical role in achieving efficiency and sustainability.
Discover how Bunting Bearings’ wide range of self-lubricating solutions can enhance your next project. Contact us today for tailored recommendations and industry-leading products.
Although uncertainty reigns as COVID-19 continues to impact individuals and businesses alike, we want to assure our customers that Bunting Bearings LLC is still open and operating as usual to meet your needs. Because our products are required for equipment in multiple essential industries, like medical and food processing, we are classified as an essential business by the state of Ohio. In our facility, we’re following safety guidelines to ensure a safe working environment for our team, and we are as prepared as ever to help with your critical projects.
Bunting Bearings LLC Products
At Bunting Bearings, our complete line of bearings and cast materials are manufactured to the highest standards. We offer a thorough selection of items that are built to last, and you’re encouraged to talk to us about customized solutions for your unique situations.
Bronze flanged bearings, for example, are ideal for heavy-duty industrial operations because they’re durable—even under pressure—and require little maintenance. Our ECO BRONZE is lead-free, and repeated testing has shown it to be superior to other lead-free options, with stellar impact and compressive strength. It’s a sustainable alternative for organizations looking for more ways to go green.
With solutions built to withstand a variety of extreme conditions, from pressure to high and low temperatures, impact, and repetitive use, we can help you find the components you need. Optimize the performance of your equipment with our high-quality products:
Cast Bronze Bearings
Continuous Cast Solid, Cored, Wearplate, and Centrifugal Cast Bronze Bar
ECO BRONZE Bearings and Bars
Custom Machined Products
Powdered Metal Bearings and Thrust Washers
Powdered Metal Bars, Discs, and Plates
Powdered Metal Structural Products
Engineered Plastic Bearings
Permanent Mold Products
Bunting Bearings Industries & Applications
Many of the companies who have the opportunity and duty to continue serving the public during these unprecedented times can’t do it alone. They rely on a variety of equipment, component, and material suppliers, so they can provide their goods and services to the people who need them. Supplying these companies with the components they need to do their jobs is a responsibility we don’t take lightly.
Since 1907, Bunting Bearings has been dedicated to providing high-quality engineered solutions and exceptional customer service, and we’re now one of the largest bronze bearings producers in the United States. Our ISO 9001 certification ensures we’re producing the products you need while maintaining high standards in our facility and throughout our organization.
Our cast bronze bar stock, fully machined bearings, powdered metal, metal composite, and engineered plastic bearing products are all proudly made in the USA. If you can’t find the product you need, talk to us about custom solutions. With more than a century of experience behind us, we’re confident we can produce what you’re looking for.
We are staying informed of the ever-changing situation surrounding COVID-19, and we’re dedicated to providing the same high level of customer service, competitive pricing, and prompt turnaround as we always have. We’re here for you through the pandemic and beyond. If you have any questions about our products or our operations during this time, please contact us.
Most businesses today find that sustainability has become an area of concern. Consumers have become more environmentally conscious, which means they expect sustainable practices from the brands they support.
In response, organizations across industry lines are moving to integrate sustainability into the basis of their business strategies. This has led to an increase in the use of sustainably sourced materials and components in the manufacturing sector.
At Bunting Bearings, we appreciate that sustainability helps strengthen our business, but we also understand its importance for our environment as a whole. We prioritize environmentally friendly solutions for our clients to facilitate easier implementation of sustainable strategies.
Sustainability With Bunting Bearings
We provide a wide variety of environmentally friendly products. We maintain stringent internal green practices that help us to prioritize sustainability in our own business, which makes us an ideal partner for customers who are trying to prioritize it in theirs.
Green Policy
We manufacture a complete range of high-performance, environmentally friendly bearing solutions. Our product line is broad to facilitate use in myriad applications and includes a broad range of lead-free and plastic products. Our bearings are always made from highest quality sustainably sourced metals and polymers available.
Our goal is to ensure that each of our customers has an easy way to integrate sustainability into their next project. We maintain so many regulations and guidelines to ensure environmentally friendly practices in the workplace. We rely on a number of innovative materials and processes to improve the sustainability of our organization and continuously monitor and modify our operation in accordance with sustainable best practices.
Lead-Free ECO BRONZE
Our cast bronze lead-free bearings are machined from continuous cast C87850 ECO BRONZE. This ensures superior quality and performance without sacrificing uniform bronze structure throughout the bearing. ECO BRONZE bearings offer exceptionally smooth surfaces and minimize the porosity and hard particle inclusions found in many other cast bronze bearings. We often recommend it for applications that require exceptional performance and high uniformity.
Our clients love ECO BRONZE bearings because they’ve been independently tested to prove their superiority to competitive cast lead-free materials. Our ECO BRONZE product line includes:
Plain sleeve bearings
Flanged bearings
Thrust washers
Solid bars
Cored bars
Engineered Plastic Parts
We offer a wide variety of engineered plastic components in multiple materials. All of our materials comply with EPA standards. Materials commonly used to fabricate plastic components include:
Nylon
PTFE – virgin and numerous filled variants
PTFE composite bearings
BU (PTFE lined bi-metallic bearings)
Vespel
Nylatron
Many of our product lines adhere to guidelines set by the Safe Drinking Water Act, which defines “lead-free” as:
A weighted average of 0.25% lead (calculated across wetted surfaces of a pipe, pipe fitting, plumbing fitting, or fixture)
A weighted average of 0.2% lead for solder and flux
We offer numerous services and products dependent upon project requirements. Plain sleeve, liner, and flanged bearings are all available upon request. Our team also machines thrust washers and solid bars. Most engineered plastic parts can be customized to suit almost any requirement.
At Bunting Bearings, we believe that our sustainability efforts offer benefits to our environment and our customers. We work closely with each client to ensure that their many projects integrate sustainable practices without sacrificing success. We regularly serve numerous industrial markets, as well as marine, medical, utility, and oil and gas clients.
If you’d like to learn more about our capabilities or how we can make your next project more sustainable, please contact us today for more information.
At Bunting Bearings, we are always looking for ways to streamline our operations and improve our customers’ experience. When our team is fully equipped with everything they need to do a great job, we can better serve our customers.
With that in mind, we have invested in a Siemens Dematic automated warehouse handling system to improve workflow and efficiency in our warehouse. These in-house improvements translate to better products and customer service for you.
The new building that will host this new system is nearing completion. We expect it to be fully operational by December 2019. The entire team at Bunting Bearings is looking forward to its implementation and its contribution to satisfying customer needs.
Benefits of Our New Handling System
Some of the specific benefits of integrating this new robotic product handling system into our existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system include:
Increased productivity. The system eliminates walking and elevated picking. The operators remain stationary and the system travels to the bin locations to retrieve the parts and then returns to the operator for product packing.
The system can be used for a wide variety of products, including cast bronze, powdered metal, and plastic bearings.
Improved product accuracy. The system reduces the risk of human error in regard to product shipment.
Maximized space utilization. By maximizing our warehouse space with the automated system, we will have the opportunity to continue to optimize the layout of the bronze bar inventory, for increased efficiency and shorter “order to ship” intervals. This is good timing because we recently added a full Lead-Free EcoBronze range to meet demand.
Enhanced employee safety. The automated system eliminates the need for manual lifting and reduces the risk of employee accidents or injury.
What This Means For Our Customers
For our customers, this new system means:
Faster fulfillment. Due to decreases in overall operational time, customers will notice that we will be able to fulfill orders more quickly.
Greater satisfaction. While we are proud of our pick accuracy, this system will reduce the margin of error further when it comes to ensuring that the customer gets exactly what they ordered
Bearing Solutions at Bunting Bearings
At Bunting Bearings, we continually look for ways to improve our range of products, and in recent times, our emphasis has been to enhance our offering of lead-free, environmentally friendly products. The integration of our new Siemens Dematic automated warehouse handling system is part of our commitment to premier quality, environmental sustainability, and superior customer service.
We are thrilled about our new system and what it means for both our warehouse team and our customers. It will enhance our ability to manufacture and deliver our complete range of high-performance bearing solutions for industrial and commercial markets such as marine, pumps, forestry, construction, medicine, utilities and oil and gas.
To learn more about our new warehouse handling system or any of our services and capabilities, reach out to us today.
Bunting Bearings recently completed a large expansion to our Delta, OH, centrifugal casting plant. Centrifugal casting is one of our main specialties, and our customers value our ability to create high-value, cost-effective centrifugal castings that can be machined to a finished product. With this new expansion, we’re excited to further expand on our abilities to provide the highest quality casting services to our clients.
Here’s an overview of our casting plant expansion and how it will benefit our capabilities moving forward:
Our Casting Plant Expansion
We invested in an extension to our plant to bring new value to our customers. With our new plant, we can now produce longer and larger centrifugal castings with lead times of 2–4 weeks and expedited delivery times of 48–72 hours.
We also dedicated new resources to our machine shop in Holland, OH. We installed five new live tooling machining centers as well as a vertical turret lathe to handle larger longer centrifugal castings.
New Casting Specifications
Our new equipment has enabled us to produce larger casting volumes at optimal efficiency. With our expanded capabilities, we can:
Pour vertical castings with a size range of 3” up to 36” outside diameter as well as horizontal castings of 27” diameter and 60” length
Achieve tighter grain structures, leading to improved physical properties
Fill low-, medium-, and high-volume orders
Perform QC testing at our in-house laboratory to ASTM B271– and ASTM B22.
Full Casting Solutions at Bunting Bearings
We at Bunting Bearings continuously seek new ways to best satisfy our customers’ needs. Investing more in our facilities and equipment is one such way for us to achieve this goal, and we’re pleased to expand our casting offerings to cover an even greater span of casting size requirements.
Bunting Bearings is a leading manufacturer of high-performance, environmentally friendly bearings and cast materials. Our products include a wide variety of lead-free products made from top-quality polymers and bronze. To learn more about centrifugal castings or our other capabilities and services, contact us today.
Conflict minerals—specifically tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold—are some of the most commonly used, yet controversial substances in the world. They’ve been used in everything from household electronics and mobile phones to machinery and assemblies.
Also known as 3TG minerals, the reason for their controversy is the highly unethical and tragic behavior linked to their sourcing. Mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the looting and sale of these minerals has financed various rebel groups who have controlled the region and inflicted various atrocities on its people. At least 50% of the mines from which these minerals come are guarded by armed militia, while the miners themselves, including young children, work in horrendous conditions.
As a result, Section 1502 of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, passed January 1, 2013, requires that all public companies who utilize minerals included in the conflict minerals list investigate the origin of these minerals and source them from non-conflict regions.
While we are a privately held company and therefore not subject to the rule, we guarantee that, to the best of our knowledge, our supply chain does not include any conflict minerals that originate in the Democratic Republic of Congo or its adjoining countries. We are a company committed to ethical practices and will continue to remain DRC conflict-free.
The cost of doing business is never worth supporting unjust causes or conditions, and we encourage everyone to pledge to a DRC conflict-free supply chain. To learn more about the problem, and what’s being done to stop it, visit this website.
Are you in the food or food processing industry? If so, you must know the importance of using parts and products that meet the stringent standards of the industry, as the cleanliness, durability, and integrity of the products are necessary and important. What about those in the oil and gas industries—high lubrication parts are integral for making machines and products run smoothly. When it comes to bronze bearings, high quality and high strength are important characteristics.
This is where Bunting Bearings can step in. Not many people realize the wide range and scope of our powdered metal and high strength bronze bearings. We realize that the end application determines what bearing is needed for a specific project, and the bearing’s particular characteristics definitely help dictate the required bearing.
What are some of the bronze bearings we can offer our clients? First, the SAE841 bronze bearing, which is an industry standard. For those in the food industry, we have the Eco 481 bearing, which meets the USDA standards. Our SAE 841 extra lubricant with PTFE sleeve bearing features a PTFE additive in the oil. When it comes to stop/start applications, it allows for smoother running and an easier brake-in period. Does your application involve high temperatures? Then try the Dri-Plane® bearings, which have a dry lubricant, making them suitable for temperatures up to 700⁰ F or 371⁰ C. Not only that, but our bronze bearings are produced to the exacting requirements of ASTM standard B438-13 as well. For applications that need high load-bearing materials, good wear characteristics, and compressive strength, the PVC bearings are a good option.
These bearings are available, right now, in a number of styles and sizes, and they are only a sampling of the bearings we offer. We are here to help our customers connect with the bronze bearings needed for their specific applications. What type of bronze bearing can we help you with?
Sustainability. By now, you have certainly heard of this term, for it is quickly becoming a hot topic in all industries. According to the Environmental Leader publication, sustainability “is the collection of policies and strategies employed by companies to minimize their environmental impact on future generations.” Depending on your specific industry and type of business, sustainability – or becoming environmentally-friendly—can mean a variety of different things. For power generation or oil companies, it can mean cutting down on the types of emissions released into the air. For packaging companies, it can mean the difference between using plastic and paper materials. For those in machining and industrial applications, such as marine, medical, utilities, commercial and oil markets, lead-free and eco-friendly materials are essential.
For material and bearings manufacturers like us, it is necessary to meet the needs and demands of the customers. As more and more companies are looking for ways to become “green” and the government is beginning to issue various environmentally-aware standards, green and lead-free materials are going to be sought out at a high demand.
To us personally, sustainability has driven us to discover and offer materials that can be considered green. Our most popular eco-friendly alloy so far has been the C95400 aluminum bronze alloy, which is completely lead free. Other alloys that are considered no-lead replacements for currently or historically used leaded alloys are the B04, no-lead bearing bronze, as well as C86300 manganese bronze. All of these alloys are manufactured to be applicable for heavy earth moving equipment, roll neck bearings, and machine tool bearings.
In the industry’s quest to become more green and environmentally-aware, we are embracing the hot topic of sustainability and applying it to our business. How are you celebrating sustainability?
