Vesconite Bearings has received its China Classification Society (CCS) Certificate of Works Approval. This was announced by Vesconite Bearings Quality Control Manager Jaco Prinsloo, who notes that the certification is valid for four years and is one of the certifications that clients request to confirm that Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube rudder bearings and stern tubes […]
Vesconite hydro turbine parts replace bronze
Hydro turbine bearing components machined from Vesconite Hilube have been installed at the Crai Water Turbine and Pollok Sawmill Projects in Wales. The UK consultant on hydroelectric turbine design and maintenance on the project had first come to hear about Vesconite bearing materials in 2021, when the restoration projects were still in the conception stage. […]
Five bearing sets are destined for racer-cruising yachts
A New Zealand builder of composite motor yachts has forward-ordered five bearing sets for its upcoming builds later this year. The company’s yachts range from 15 to 50 meters and the boat maker specializes in engineering excellence and quality finishes and interiors for its high-performance carbon-fiber racer-cruising yachts. The boat maker last took delivery in […]
Stern-tube-bearing delivery planning for lower dry-dock fees
Preparation for repairs of marine vessels often involves precise planning. This is why Vesconite Bearings Netherlands has already decided on the date of despatch for a Vesconite Hilube stern tube bearing that will be delivered to Vigo, located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, in March. The order for the bearing was […]
New labyrinth seals avoid galling and failures
Labyrinth seals can now be ordered from Vesconite Bearings using client specifications. This follows the supply and successful use of Vesconite labyrinth seals by several large pump original equipment manufacturers in multiple labyrinth seal designs over the past 10 years. Labyrinth seals are mechanical seals that provide a long path for water to flow through […]
Vesconite labyrinth seal improves desalination pump performance
A desalination plant in the Middle East commissioned a 6 MW pump with a Vesconite labyrinth seal in 2022. This is according to the product manager at a large Austrian technology company tasked with designing the pump. His company advertises that “thanks to today’s state-of-the-art technologies, potable water, and desalination plants are able to achieve […]
Vesconite commissions large-quantity production unit
Vesconite Bearings commissioned a dedicated facility for high production runs of finished parts in June. This follows its purchase of a thousand-square-meter structure that had been used as a grain silo and then as a seed store by its previous owners. Known as Welgeleë, or “well established” after the farm at which it was previously […]
Air seeder advanced with Vesconite bushings
Vesconite Bearings has received a large order for wear-resistant bushings from a Canadian manufacturer that manufactures air seeders, among other equipment. This is according to Vesconite application developer Marius van Zyl, who has been involved in the project since its start. The project began when an Australian distributor of the air seeder tested standard Vesconite […]
New king pin and thrust bearings save costs for forklift company
A forklift rental company in the Cape Winelands, South Africa, is experiencing less downtime, expenditure, and fewer equipment repairs thanks to the introduction of Vesconite king pin and thrust bearings on its forklifts. This is according to brothers Jacques and Van Rhyn who, together with their father, Japie du Plessis, supply forklifts to clients in […]
Vesconite manufactures largest Vesconite Hilube stern tube / propeller shaft bearing to date
Vesconite Bearings is proud to have supplied its largest-ever machined stern tube bearing from the long-life, wear-resistant, no-swell bearing material Vesconite Hilube. The order was completed with the assistance of a recently-purchased six-meter centre lathe, which is part of Vesconite Bearings’ newly-introduced extra-large marine bearings’ facility. The long aft stern tube bearing measured 534 mm […]
Vesconite planter bushings
Anyone involved in agriculture will tell you that maintenance is crucial to your equipment’s life and performance and will quickly come back to bite you if it is neglected. A planting row unit has many moving parts, all of which need to work in harmony to ensure continuous and accurate seed placement, in the harshest […]
Vesconite Bearings introduces extra facilities for extra-large marine bearings
Vesconite Bearings has established a dedicated extra-large bearings facility within its factory. It will manufacture no-swell low-friction self-lubricating bearings for large ocean-going vessels, including container ships and oil tankers. The dedicated facility houses five large horizontal lathes, including a six-meter lathe and two large vertical lathes. It also includes an upgraded Superclad machine, which builds […]
Conveyor chain bearings still operational after two years
A drop-size carrot sorter, with Vesconite plain bearings installed on its conveyor chains, has worked well at South Africa’s largest carrot producer for two years. The carrot producer installed the bearings on one of its two processing lines to test whether the processing line with Vesconite performed better than the standard processing line. Since installation, […]
Vesconite’s lead-free solutions to reduce lead exposures
Vesconite Bearings hopes to be part of the global program to reduce lead exposure from drinking water. It produces products resistant to corrosion-combatting chemicals (which are necessary to reduce lead leaching into the water system). It also provides lead-free bearing materials for pumps and water systems. Fuel and paint were the most important sources of […]
WRAS approves Vesconite’s Hitemp 150
A wear-resistant bearing material produced by Vesconite Bearings, Hitemp 150, has been certified for drinking water use by the Water Regulations Approval Scheme (WRAS). WRAS is an independent UK certification body for plumbing products and materials. It informed Vesconite that Hitemp 150 “is suitable for contact with wholesome water for domestic purposes”. Hitemp 150 components […]
3D printer bushings used in giant fossil wombat museum commission
Vesconite Hilube low-maintenance low-friction 3D printer bushings played an important part in the fabrication of a fossil giant wombat skeleton (Phascolonus sp.) for an exhibit on Australian Megafauna. Phascolonus was two to three times larger than modern wombats, and had a bodyweight of up to around 200 kg. The project consisted of over 100 components, […]
550 starter motors with Vesconite bearings in the field
Vesconite wear-resistant sleeve bearing replacements have been fitted as standard components in a range of Powerstart hydraulic and turbine starter motors, with some 550 of these motors in the field at the end of May 2021. These plain bearings replaced internal and external needle-roller bearings, which are a special type of roller bearing with thin […]
Structural bearings support stadium beam joints
A time-lapse video proves that Vesconite Superlube low-friction, high-load-carrying bearings perform well as sliding bearings in large structures, including soccer stadiums. The video starts shortly after 7 pm and shows structural movement throughout the evening when the stadium concrete beams contract due to cooling and continues past mid-day when higher temperatures result in expansion. These […]
Bearing swell problem solved for percussion hammer drill
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-stabilized nylon machined into linear bearings. However, due to the swell associated with the nylon, ten sets […]
Cameroon palm oil producer prototypes Hitemp 150 hanger bearings
Vesconite’s Hitemp 150 hanger bearings have been installed at a palm oil processing factory in Cameroon, Central Africa. This followed a suggestion to test Vesconite Bearing’s most abrasion-resistant polymer – which also has a high-temperature rating. Abrasion resistance is important for a bearing’s success since wear can result in frequent replacement and factory downtime, while […]
Sailing yacht installs Vesconite propeller bearings
The 36-meter Miss Silver sailing yacht has returned to her New Zealand birthplace for a complete refit, including fore and aft Vesconite Hilube propeller bearings. The two bearings, 5¼-in. on the outside diameter, 4¼-in. on the inside and 17-in. long, replaced phenol-ic-backed rubber bearings. The Vesconite Hilube bearings offer the advantage of close clearances, thus […]
Texas pump manufacturer orders Vesconite bushings for new range
Some 2,000 pump bushings have been ordered for a new vertical turbine range that is being developed by a Texas pump manufacturer. The pump manufacturer has been a client of Vesconite Bearings since June 2012, ordering wear-resistant Vesconite Hilube bushings for applications that call for small clearances in sometimes abrasive conditions. With the design of […]
Vesconite deflector protects 30% of pump value.
A starch and glucose producer in South Africa fitted Vesconite wear-resistant deflectors to its centrifugal pumps in 2019, and substantial maintenance, component, and capital-cost savings resulted. Deflectors are cylindrical rings placed at either end of the bearing assembly around the shaft. In this application, they fit at the end of oil lip seals to prevent […]
Pitch control plain bearings for wind turbine application
A large wind turbine manufacturer continues to use Vesconite Hilube actuator bearing supports in its wind turbines’ hydraulic blade pitch control systems. Pitch control systems are essential to protect wind turbines in adverse weather conditions as well as maximize the energy production of wind turbines. These systems allow blades to be twisted so that load […]
Vesconite’s new Hitemp 160 gets food-contact certification
Vesconite Bearings’ Hitemp 160 polymer bearing material has been approved for use in food- contact applications. This is according to CEO Dr. Jean-Patrick Leger, who received the formal certification letter from the Laboratoire National De Métrologie et d’Essais (LNE) ﹣ the French public institution tasked with the voluntary or regulatory certification of products, management systems, […]