Vesconite Bearings has developed Hitemp 160, a no-grease-needed bearing material which can at operate at temperatures up to 160°C (320°F), and, depending on the application, up to 220°C (430°F).
Hitemp 160 allows pump companies to use one bearing material that can cope with many different applications and wide temperature ranges. The company says that bearings and wear rings using the material do not swell, are low friction, have high levels of chemical resistance and are suited to contact with cold water, hot water and steam.
Vesconite Bearings’ CEO Dr Jean-Patrick Leger, said: “Companies do not want to continuously adapt their pumps to the wide range of chemicals and temperatures that they might encounter.” He added that even if 90% of the pumps that companies sell are for cold water applications, the use of Hitemp 160 bearing material means that they don’t have to change bearing materials and wear rings for the 10% of cases where they will be exposed to high temperatures, solvents, or acids and alkalis.
