A nylon bearing-swell problem almost led to the abandonment of a project to develop a new percussion hammer drill until the drill maker turned to Vesconite Hilube no-swell wear-resistant bearings.
The drill had been designed with a specific heat-stabilised nylon machined into linear bearings.
However, due to swell associated with the nylon, ten sets of nylon bearings had to be machined so that the drill manufacturer could find one set of components that could work together. The drill would then seize since nylon is known to swell when water absorption occurs.
The maker of drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment was at its wits’ end and ready to disregard the new drill design as unworkable when the design engineer heard about Vesconite Hilube.
After some size testing, the company ordered samples, notes Vesconite Bearings technical sales consultant Charlie Simpson.
The manufacturer then sent these samples to its testing facility in India, and has been testing them for three years with promising results, Simpson reports.
The decision as to whether to introduce the product as part of the company’s product line is currently being decided by the drill manufacturer’s marketing department.
From being sceptical that the company would be able to proceed with the drill, the design engineer is encouraged that the niche drill can operate and may be introduced into the company’s catalogue.
Should this be the case, it is likely that the drill manufacturer would produce a range of similar drills all fitted with Vesconite Hilube linear bearings.
These are likely to be used for rock drilling, excavation and construction globally.
