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Engineering Plastic Bearings vs. Metal Composite Bearings

 

Currently used bearings can generally be divided into rolling bearings and sliding bearings. The working principles of rolling bearings and sliding bearings can be distinguished by their names. Rolling bearings experience rolling friction, while sliding bearings experience sliding friction. The magnitude of rolling friction mainly depends on manufacturing precision.

 

The magnitude of friction in sliding bearings mainly depends on the material of the bearing's sliding surfaces. Sliding bearings generally have self-lubricating working surfaces.

 

Sliding bearings are further classified according to material into non-metallic sliding bearings and metallic sliding bearings.

 

Non-metallic sliding bearings are currently mainly made of plastic, which is generally made of high-performance engineering plastics.

 

Metallic sliding bearings are most commonly used in three-layer composite bearings. These bearings typically use carbon steel plates as the base material, with a layer of spherical copper powder sintered onto the steel plate using sintering technology, followed by a layer of PTFE lubricant about 0.03mm thick. The middle layer of spherical copper powder primarily enhances the bonding strength between the steel plate and the PTFE, and also provides some load-bearing and lubrication during operation.

 

Plastic bearings differ from metal sliding bearings in the following ways:

 

1. Plastic bearings use lubricating material throughout, resulting in a long service life; while metal sliding bearings only have a surface 0.003mm thick PTFE lubrication layer, and their service life ends when this thin layer is worn away.

 

2. Plastic bearings do not rust and are corrosion-resistant, while metal bearings are prone to rust and cannot be used in chemical solutions.

 

3. Plastic bearings are lighter than metal bearings, making them more suitable for modern lightweight design trends. 4. Plastic bearings are cheaper to manufacture than metal bearings; plastic bearings are injection molded, making them suitable for mass production.

 

5. Plastic bearings operate without noise and have a certain vibration absorption function. Due to the numerous advantages of plastic bearings over metal sliding bearings, the production of plastic bearings is expanding rapidly, and their applications are constantly extending. From fitness equipment to office equipment and the automotive industry, plastic bearings are used everywhere. Currently, virtually every car on the road uses plastic bearings.