self lubricating bearing – SelfLube Mold and Die Products
Self-lubricating bearings are critical in mold and die industries due to their ability to operate under high loads, extreme temperatures, and without external lubrication. We can produce nearly any self lubricating bearing, bushing or related part to your specifications. If you don’t have a drawing, we can replicate your part from a sample. We specialize in cutting lubrication grooves in various patterns. Our machining processes include boring (minimum .0937″), turning (maximum 75″), and finished lengths up to 50″. We also offer milling, drilling, tapping, reaming, centerless grinding, special oil application, and dry or re-lubrication services.
Self Lube Bushings To Your Machine
Self Lube bronze bushings are used in die sets, metal stamping dies, molds, special machines, and heavy equipment of all types.
- Performance Characteristics:
- Temperature range: -195°C to +310°C, suitable for extreme environments in molding processes.
- Load capacity: Up to 310 MPa static load and 0.5 m/s linear speed under dry friction.
- Maintenance-free operation due to embedded solid lubricants, reducing downtime in mold machinery.
Bronzeoilless.com Self Lube bearings are made of quality bronze and can be ordered either with or without solid lubricant. They are available in a broad range of inch and metric sizes.
If a standard bushing won’t suffice, SelfLube can economically make custom bushings in just about any size.
Benefits of Self Lube Bushings
Self lube bronze buhsings enjoy significantly longer maintenance and replacement intervals, greater machine uptime, higher throughput, and cleaner operation. They also save money by eliminating the need for expensive lubrication systems and lubricants.
Self-lubricating bushings can provide several benefits for end-users
- There is no need for oil holes and grooves in the design of the bearings. This eliminates the cost of machining the holes and grooves in the bearings.
- Self-lubrication eliminates the need for an extra oiling system.
- They reduce the machinery running cost since it has fewer maintenance problems.
- Self lube bearings are mostly maintenance free reducing the cost of preventive and routine maintenance.
- Their mechanical design is simple to manufacture, with thin wall thickness; higher load capacity, and excellent wear resistance, making them more economical.
- They are environmentally friendly as they do not need extra oil and waste management issues.
Types Of Self Lube Bushings
A wide variety of self-lubricating bronze bushings types are available including casting bronze bushing, Oil Impregnated Bushings, and graphite bronze bushings. Specialty shapes can be machined for specific applications that include wear plates, thrust washers, straight & flange types, and guide pins.
Solid Self-Lubricating Bushing
A JDB solid self-lubricating bushing is a type of bearing that has solid lubricants embedded within a strong metal structure. These bushings have clear benefits when used in situations with heavy loads and where lubricating with oil isn’t possible. They can be used instead of rolling bearings and copper alloy bearings in situations with high pressure.
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Casting Bronze Bushings
Cast bronze bushings are recommended for moderate to heavy loads, shocks, and temperatures. Made from C93200 SAE 660 bearing bronze bar stock. This material is impact, wear, and corrosion resistant and has excellent friction resistance. It also has excellent machinability, which means that high-quality surface finishes can be achieved.
This combination of mechanical properties creates a tough and durable bushing that will meet or exceed the fit and life of all other bushings.
Casting Bronze Bushings Styles
Casting Bronze Bushings to have 5 styles, There are Grooved Cast Bronze Bushings, cast plain bearing, Flanged Cast bronze bearings, thrust washers, and large diameter bronze bearings.
Oil Impregnated Bushings
Oil-impregnated bronze bushings are characterized by their ability to self-lubricate. This effect is possible because of the powder metallurgy process:
- Bronze powder is gravity fed into a die set which is the desired bushing size. The powder is then pressed to connect the powder particles.
- The powder particles in the part are then bonded together in a furnace. The furnace temperature is just high enough to bond the particles without melting the metal.
- This sintering procedure is the key to oil impregnation. Sintering, by nature, decreases the porosity of the product as it bonds the powder particles together, but it’s possible to control the degree to which this happens.
- For oil-impregnated bronze bushings, the final porosity is maintained at around 25%, meaning that there are still tiny, interconnected capillaries woven throughout the material.
- To finish the manufacturing process the bushing is then pressed through a calibration set of tools to the required tolerances. The bushing is then vacuum impregnated which forces oil into the interconnected porosity.
Applications and process of Self-Lubricating Bearings
Self lubricating bearings are typically manufactured through a casting process followed by precision machining:
- Casting: Molten bronze is poured into molds to form the rough shape of the bushing.
- Centrifugal Casting (Optional): This method enhances material density and minimizes porosity, making it ideal for high-performance applications.
- Machining: The cast components are precisely machined using lathes, milling machines, and other tools to achieve the required dimensions.
- Solid Lubricant Insertion: Graphite or PTFE plugs are embedded into the surface, enabling self-lubrication.
Common Applications of Self-Lubricating Bearings
- Tire Molds: Used in segmented slide plates and guiding elements to ensure smooth axial movement.
- Plastic Injection Molds: Essential for wear plates and actuating rings that require low friction.
- Conical Plates & Sliding Bushings: Applied in die-casting equipment for tilting, clamping, and actuating mechanisms.
- High-Load, Low-Speed Systems: Ideal for applications such as turbine doors and plastic machinery.
Graphite Self Lube Bushings
Graphite Self Lube Bushings– This product is a cast bronze bushing that has been milled and plugged with graphite plugs. The graphite acts as the lubricator. These are used in applications where the properties of the oil-impregnated bushing would not suffice. Examples of these are high-temperature applications or applications with a heavy load-bearing requirement.
Graphite bronze bushing’s surface should always be separated by a film of lubricant. With Graphite Plugged Bronze Bushings no form of supplementary lubrication is required.
A film of solid lubricant is transferred unto the shaft as it starts to run. The self-lubricating features allow the graphite self lube bearings to be used where oiling is difficult, expensive to implement, and where grease/oil cannot be used. Excellent lubrication is achieved even under high loads at low speeds.
Applications of Self-Lubricating Bearings
Self-lubricating bushings have been widely used in textile machinery, steam and gas turbines, injection molding machines, Primary Metal, medical equipment, the food industry, wind and hydropower generation, timber processing equipment, heavy-duty equipment, and a host of other industries.
Primary Metal Industry
In Steel Mills, there is heavy loading on rollers with high amounts of heat. Getting lubrication distributed to these applications is difficult and dangerous so Bronze with embedded graphite plugs for lubricant is commonly used. Bronze and graphite can operate in temperatures up to 300°C. Without the requirement for regular servicing Steel Mills can operate with less downtime and with increased reliability.
