Reducing Friction and Wear Resistance with Specialty Compounding

Friction between moving parts is a big problem for designers and engineers. These individuals must implement smart and creative means of reducing friction because if they did not, parts would break, and accidents can potentially happen. Low friction and wear-resistant thermoplastic compounds are an excellent option for managing friction. Our custom formulations provide our clients with multi-property solutions.

Thermoplastics that are internally lubricated eliminate time-consuming and expensive secondary operations that are commonly associated with external surface lubrication. These carefully designed thermoplastics keep components and mechanisms clean, while also enhancing long-term performance and reliability.

Abrasion and friction-reducing additives get mixed with wear resistance compounds to make plastic that offers protection from scratching and surface marring. Specialty compounding provides a reduction in noises for mated parts, and it also eliminates the stick/slip phenomenon that often occurs with sliding parts.

The most common applications of lubricated and wear-resistant plastic include:

• Sliding components that cover doors, panels, and latches found on consumer electronics.
• Pump impellers save users money by using a lightweight, injection-molded plastic instead of machined metal. Changing the two materials significantly lowers start-up torque.
• Cams, slides, gears, and bearings are parts that continually keep moving free from external lubricants and grease.
• Bushings and rollers benefit from a reduction of noise in material handling systems. Specialty compounding accommodated washdown and cleanroom environments.
• Gears also benefit from improved resistance to repeated flexural bending, which is a primary cause of tooth failure.

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