Injection moulded bearings have all the right properties
Glacier has introduced a new service offering designers an extensive
range of alternative injection moulded thermoplastic bearing solutions
for high volume applications. Many polymers have good mechanical
properties; modifying them with appropriate low friction and low wear
additives also gives them good bearing properties.
As polymer and moulding technologies have developed, complex,
multi-material components complete with bearing surfaces and lip seals
are now viable. The photograph shows a typical example of a spherical
bush in which axial and circumferential grease distribution grooves have
been moulded into the bore together with a re-lubrication boss on the
outer surface.