The senior project manager at a company that developed a new technology to recycle plastics reached out to engineers at Graphite Metallizing to solve their bearing issues.
Graphite Metallizing manufactures Graphalloy® self-lubricating high-temperature materials.
The company is a pioneer in regenerating post-consumer and post-industrial plastics into new plastics, reclaiming these resources’ full value. This includes contaminated food containers.
The project manager needed a bearing/bushing that could handle high temperatures and submersion in liquid polymers. During the engineering discussion, it was confirmed that the distance between bolt centers of Graphalloy’s type 845F4 flange block did not match those of the company’s IPTCI® type UCFCS206-20, four-bolt flange housing. However, Graphalloy’s type 845-39 inserts would fit perfectly into these housings.
Application:
- EQP: Reactor.
- MOD: Bottom impeller drive mount.
- LOA: 50 LBS.
- SPD: 1000 RPM.
- ENV: Submerged in liquid polymer.
- TEM: 330°C.
The project manager asked for and received a sample of the Graphalloy nickel-grade material that Graphalloy’s engineer recommended, based on the application. He wanted to conduct a compatibility test on their application with the polystyrene material at high temperatures.
A few weeks later, the project manager contacted Graphalloy to say, “after receiving your sample, our evaluation has been positive and I’m including our purchase order here. We want to purchase three pieces of your type 845 bushing inserts in the nickel material, and we want to use one in an assembly quickly.”
Weeks later, the project manager said that Graphalloy was a success and was now part of their new reactors. The company licenses its process and sells equipment and services in connection with their unique reactors.
Due to the ability to handle high-temperatures and submersion in liquid polymers, Graphalloy bushings are used in several plastic recycling technologies including high-temperature pyrolysis processes.
Graphalloy bushings offer solutions in places where traditional bearing lubricants will not work, including high-temperature applications, clean environments, submerged operation applications, and more. The Graphalloy material is self-lubricating, non-galling, chemically resistant, and can withstand temperatures from minus-400°F (minus-240°C) to +1,000°F (+535°C).
MORE INFO www.graphalloy.com
