One of the last things any operations manager wants is extended stoppages caused by bearing failures as manufacturers and primary producers get squeezed between the pincers of expanding production needs and narrowing maintenance windows.
Avoidance of such issues is particularly important now throughout Australasia and the Asia-Pacific, as production begins to ramp up after the easing of Covid restrictions in many places and as companies look for ways to avoid supply chain issues to ensure their machinery runs without disruption as markets and exports expand.
One proven way to address bearing failures causing disruption – or fears of incipient problems developing – is the use of split plummer where production and process staff want to minimise disruptions to production caused by the need to replace bearings quickly.
Plummer blocks – or pillow blocks, as they are sometimes called – are the pedestal mounts used to provide support for a rotating shaft on bearings. Frequently they are one-piece metal structures, which present handling issues, OH&S hazards and removal and installation delay. Sometimes they are split structures, to facilitate handling with fewer such issues.
Making split plummer blocks from engineering plastics takes the benefits of the split design a step further, because the workpiece is strong, self-lubricating, lighter, and quicker to install, says Asia-Pacific engineering plastics authority Laurie Green. The easily handled and engineering plastic spilt blocks can be produced from polyurethane – or other specialist engineering grade plastics for diverse materials handling applications, often involving processing machinery with multiple bearings and inline shafts where it would be costly to close down the entire line for removal and installation of heavier and more complex bearings, he says.
Where the split blocks are used in particularly corrosive or aggressive environments, such as those typically encountered in food and beverage, primary processing and materials handling applications, split plummer blocks can be engineered from a range of high-performance plastics formulated to suit the particular tasks.
Formulas for particular tasks
Such plastics can be formulated to increase hardness, eliminate porosity, resist chemicals, and provide outstanding hygiene, says Mr Green, who is Managing Director of Cut To Size Plastics, which serves Australia and the Asia-Pacific from operations in NSW and Queensland.
The company engineers some of the world’s most respected brands of engineering plastics in its machinery component fabrication, says Mr Green, who has more than 40 years’ experience in employing tough, light, and hygienic engineering plastics to replace metals where plastics have major benefits, including in primary processing, food and beverage, resources, and manufacturing.
“We don’t claim engineering plastics are right for every application – but these super tough materials have evolved brilliantly in recent decades to the point where they are the natural solution to many issues encountered in processing.”
“Split plummer blocks manufactured from engineering plastics have a number of natural advantages over metal alternatives. In addition to hygienic surfaces that are easy to wash down, there are often significant cost advantages in fabrication and speed of replacement,” says Mr Green.
“Often engineering grade polyurethane bearings, with a shore hardness of 75D, can be used to provide an excellent interim solution that saves time and money, while in other situations they provide a highly cost-effective long-life solution.”
Polyurethane split plummer blocks – which are designed for quick removal and installation – provide advantages that traditional bearings do not, including:
- Light weight for speed and OHS benefits
- Self-lubricating for production security and time savings
- Wear improvements
- Tear and weather resistance
- Heat and cold resistance
- Lower operating costs
- Long life
- Noise abatement
- Capable of working in extreme wash-down applications
- More sanitary
Polyurethane has been widely proven in robust materials applications – including in the timber, primary process and food and beverage manufacturing, for example – offering industrial applications the elasticity of rubber combined with the toughness and durability of metal, to reduce plant maintenance and OEM product cost, says Mr Green.
Cut To Size Plastics is continuously investing in technology to offer prompt, precise and cost-efficient service throughout the Asia-Pacific. One of its latest investments is a Morbidelli Author M100F heavy duty CNC router and machining centre.
The high-speed, vibration-free Italian technology – which offers unmatched finishing quality and rapid production turnaround – complements the company’s comprehensive CNC machining facility at its HQ in Yennora, Sydney.
The Morbidelli is coupled with GibbsCAMand SolidWorkssoftware to optimise the company’s ability to produce high-quality product from customer specifications and design briefs for local application or export, including the split plummer block designs.
For further information, please contact Cut To Size Plastics Pty Ltd, sales@cuttosize.com.au
