Ultimate lubricant for tough environments

The development of Vesconite started in 1968 in an attempt to find a bearing material suitable for use in deep goldmines extracting gold at depths up to 3km below the surface in exceptionally harsh conditions.

Traditional bushing materials such as bronze failed prematurely through poor lubrication in the wet and dirty environment. Nylon bushes could not hold size swelling and seizing causing shaft damage and often catastrophic failures.

Excessive downtime and high maintenance costs were incentive to find a self-lubricating low friction alternative that would offer longer life with minimal maintenance. Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube exceeded these requirements.

Vesconite combines a loadbearing capacity greater than that of white metal with self lubricating properties better than those of nylon while giving up to 10 times longer service than phosphor bronze. Developed and proven in many industrial applications over four decades, Vesconite has become the preferred material when high loads must be carried with small clearances under dirty and un-lubricated conditions it is also most effective in moist, immersed and corrosive applications.

Vesconite is compounded with lubricants that form an integral part of the material. This gives Vesconite a low friction and a low wear rate even when running without lubrication. It does not contain any hazardous substances such as asbestos or fibres that make using or handling and machining unsafe. Vesconite is approved for contact use with drinking water and food and is environmentally friendly as oil and grease lubrication can be dispensed with.

Vesconite has a melting point of 260oC is one of the highest among thermoplastic materials and on a par with white metal. Vesconite is suitable for continuous use at 100oC. Hitemp 150 is designed to operate continuously in dry conditions up to 150oC and intermittently up to 170oC, and in wet or immersed conditions up to 120oC.

The versatile nature of this product lends itself to a wide range of applications and provides maintenance and design engineers with a proven option that can be confidently considered when maintaining plant or manufacturing machinery.

Vesconite is easily machined to fine tolerances on metal working equipment. Turning, milling, sawing, drilling, tapping, threading, reaming and friction welding can be carried out.

It has a wide range of chemical resistance, including resistance to many acids, mild alkalis, organic chemicals, solvents, hydrocarbons, oils and fuels. While general guidelines may be provided, every application needs be considered individually

Application examples are many, having the capability to operate without lubricant or in water, which actually enhances its performance acting as a lubricant. Pump impeller support bearings, impellor wear rings and line shaft bearings. Marine environments applications such stern tubes, rudder bearings and bushes for winches will require less maintenance and give longer life with Vesconite.

Pivot or articulation points where loads are high and speeds low and where lubrication is not possible or not desirable make Vesconite the perfect material choice. Linear applications are also well suited once again not requiring lubrication means shafts stay grease free and do not attract dust.

Vesconite is available in a wide range of standard stock shapes or as final machined custom components, tubing/ bushing sizes range from 6mm to 650mm and solid bar from 8mm to 135mm diameters.

Plate or sheets come in standard one-metre lengths available in widths up to 600mm wide and 50mm thick.

Bushes can be injection moulded into finished or a semi-finished form for cost effective solutions on larger quantity requirements.

Vesconite is as already stated the intelligent cost effective choice for Engineers for solving bushing problems in demanding applications where there is a lack of lubrication or dirty conditions or water is a problem.

www.demm.co.nz/readerenquiry #141126