At the Wittenburg Group we have developed low wear and friction compounds which are tribologically optimised thermoplastics. They range from commodity polymers like polypropylene and polyethylene to high performance materials like polyethersulfone, polyetherimide and polyetheretherketone. We modify them with lubricants such as PTFE, graphite, MoS2, silicone oil, aramid and others. These lubricants are incorporated into the polymer matrix by means of extrusion compounding.
In order to meet your end-use requirements, additional properties like structural reinforcement, flame retardancy and protection against discharges of static electricity can be combined into a single, injection mouldable or extrudable material. Of course, we can colour them as well.
Our low wear and friction compounds are developed for applications requiring low coefficients of friction and a high resistance to wear. Typical applications include bearings, slides, gears, bushing, rollers and other moving parts. Our low wear and friction materials are found in markets such as the automotive industry, industrial equipment, business machines, fluid handling, medical devices, sports and leisure and more.
These materials can replace standard, unfilled polymers which cause problems associated with increased wear and noise generation as a result of stick-slip effects. Furthermore, the unique features of our internally lubricated compounds also make it possible (in many cases) to improve the cost-effectiveness and the performance of (externally lubricated) metal components.
In the case of externally lubricated metal gears, the main benefits/features of our internally lubricated compounds versus the metal gears are:
- Lower power consumption as a result of reduced weight.
- Less noise generation because of the better sound dampening characteristics of plastics.
- Lower maintenance costs due to better corrosion resistance of plastics.
- Environmentally friendly due to the absence of polluting grease or oil.
- Reduced manufacturing cost through part consolidation as a result of design freedom and elimination of expensive and time-consuming secondary operations, associated with external surface lubrication.
Please contact our engineers to solve your needs for internally lubricated compounds.
