High-Performance Polymer Bearings for Food and Beverage Applications

By: | September 25th, 2013

GGB Bearing Technology (formerly Glacier Garlock Bearings) offers an EP™ series of high-performance polymer bearings that are suitable in numerous applications within the Packaging and Food & Beverage industries.

These bearings offer advantages such as durability, maintenance-free performance and high-temperature capabilities, which are suitable for applications like automated bag filling equipment, case erecting equipment, form, fill and seal machines, blow molding machines, baking ovens, meat processing equipment, confections processing equipment, control valves, bottling equipment, palletizing and handling equipment, and labeling equipment, among others.

EP™ series of high-performance polymer bearings.

EP™ series of high-performance polymer bearings.

Consisting of nine different materials, the GGB EP™ series of precision injection-molded bearings are made of a variety of engineering resins compounded with reinforcing fibers and solid lubricant. The lightweight, corrosion-resistant bearings provide low friction and excellent wear resistance under both dry and lubricated operating conditions. They also exhibit high dimensional stability, compressive strength and creep resistance, as well as low thermal expansion and good thermal conductivity. Importantly, the bearings resist the corrosive effects of frequent cleaning with chemicals and disinfectants.

GGB’s Center of Excellence for solid polymer bearing technology offers extensive experience and technical expertise, working closely with customers to develop tribologically optimized, application-specific bearing solutions. State-of-the-art, in-house testing capabilities allow for experimentation, making it possible to evaluate the bearing materials and fine-tune application parameters.

In addition to assisting in the selection of the most suitable material for an application and developing the design of the overall system, GGB can provide prototypes made of semi-finished material and injection-molded parts for serial production. Because the parts are injection-molded, there are virtually no limits in terms of shape, size and special features, including notches, grooves, snap-fit, halfshell and overmolded.

Besides cylindrical bearings, flanged bearings and thrust washers, the materials can be processed into special forms, such as double-flanged bushes, bushes with conical surfaces, spherical bearings and bearings with extremely thin wall thicknesses and close tolerances. The materials also can be formed into crossheads, guide shoes, and slide inlays.

 

About GGB Bearing Technology
GGB is the world’s leading manufacturer of self-lubricating and prelubricated bearings with production facilities in the U.S., Germany, France, Brazil, Slovakia and China. The company serves more than 50,000 customers worldwide in a broad spectrum of applications and industries including automotive, fluid power, agricultural and construction equipment, sports and recreation equipment, renewable energy, primary metals and general industrial. Its product offerings include metal-polymer, solid polymer, filament wound and metal bearings and bushing blocks. Also provided are industry-leading R&D and testing capabilities, flexible manufacturing, superior technical support and a global network of distributors. www.ggbearings.com.

Michael Cooney

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