When determining bearing material within the plastics industry, the choice is very important. Conventional bearing materials are extensively utilized although they usually have issues regarding elevated temperatures, corrosion, and servicing. This guide discusses the typical bearing materials available in the market, the problem with them, as well as why PEEK bearings prove to be even better.
Common Bearing Materials on the Market
Bearing materials vary, mainly including:
- Steel: This includes: chrome steel (SAE 52100), stainless steel, which is the most prevalent with a market share of more than 70%.
- Ceramics: Silicon nitride or zirconia, utilised in applications in high speeds.
- Bronze: Suggested when the load is medium to low.
- Traditional Plastics: Nylon or PTFE, which is applicable in lightweight applications.
These materials are selected on the basis of load, speed and environment, however each of them has a limitation.
Evaluation of the Disadvantages in Traditional Bearing Materials.
Each of them is analysed below, using industry data (including AST Bearings reports):
| Material Type | Main Drawbacks | Example Impacts |
| Steel Bearings | Prone to corrosion (lifespan reduced by 30% in humid environments), high-temperature fatigue, heavy weight, requires lubrication | Rust in automotive engines, increasing maintenance costs. |
| Ceramic Bearings | High brittleness (prone to shattering under impact), low load capacity (only 50% of steel), high cost (2-5 times more expensive) | Failure due to thermal shock in high-speed pumps. |
| Bronze Bearings | Needs regular lubrication, weak chemical resistance, sensitive to contaminants | High pollution risk in food processing. |
| Traditional Plastic Bearings | Limited load capacity (deforms under high pressure), poor temperature tolerance (<150°C melting), low precision | Speed limitations in semiconductor equipment, affecting efficiency. |
These issues lead to frequent replacements in demanding plastics industry applications, increasing downtime.
PEEK bearings are a new high-performance plastic that can solve the following issues:
- High-Temperature Resistance: Operating continuous temperature of up to 260 °C, much higher than steel (150 °C) and plastics (100 °C), resolving deformation and fatigue.
- Corrosion and Chemical Resistance: Resistant to acids, alkalis and solvents, the life of the product is 2-3 times longer than the steel, without rust.
- Self-Lubricating and Low Friction: Reduces lubrication needs, with a friction coefficient as low as 0.1, lowering noise and energy consumption.
- High Strength and Wear Resistance: Load capacity is similar to that of steel but only 1/5 of weight, which is suitable in lightweight design.
- Impact Resistance: It is not as prone to brittle as ceramics, and can be used in vibrating industries.
SKF reports suggest that PEEK bearings can increase the maintenance time by half and can be used in plastic moulding machines and extrusion equipment.
Analytical Examination of PEEK Bearing Application Scenario.
PEEK bearings are excellent in challenging conditions of the plastics business and its affiliates:
- Pumps and Fluid Systems: Corrosion resistance and high load are important factors in the choice of pumps in the subsea pumps and reverse osmosis pumps such that failure of plastic piping systems is minimised.
- Industrial Machinery: These are used in the mining sector as well as gas turbines where they are high temperature and wear resistant to allow round the clock production.
- Automotive and Aerospace: Lightweight design helps cut down on fuel consumption in engine bearings, and chemical resistance is adjusted to fuel conditions.
- Food and Medical: Non-polluting and self-lubricating, and is in adherence to FDA standards, used in food processing machines and medical equipment.
- Electronics and Semiconductors: The plastic chip manufacturing is optimised through electrical insulation and generation of low dust.
In a plastic manufacturing plant that uses injection moulding, the use of the traditional steel bearings resulted in a high number of downtimes as a result of corrosion and excessive friction in high-temperature conditions. Replacing PEEK Bearings with BWPEEK Bearings PEEK-lined tilt pad bearings enabled thinner hydrodynamic films to be used, and power loss had been reduced up to 30%. This upgrade reduced maintenance requirements, increased the life cycle of the bearing and increased operation stability. This led to 20 percent efficiency of the equipments, which resulted in increased throughput and reduction of energy expenses.
Choose BWPEEK: Your Professional PEEK Bearing Partner
BWPEEK is a major manufacturer of Bearing products of PEEK with more than 20 years of experience that is produced by Zhejiang BW Industry. R&D Specialisation in bespoke solutions, including carbon fibre reinforced PEEK bearings, customised to high end applications in the plastics industry. They provide complete design to production services which provide long lasting and reliable products. Visit the BWPEEK website at: https://peekmaterials.com/