GRAPHALLOY® Stainless Steel Cam Followers for Wet or Submersible Applications

Graphite Metallizing Corporation announces the availability of GRAPHALLOY® stainless steel cam followers for wet or submersible applications. These stainless steel cam followers are corrosion resistant and survive wash down and steam, eliminating the problems experienced with traditional cam followers.

GRAPHALLOY® cam followers do not contain oil or grease to harden, burn up, contaminate or wash away. They are designed to handle moderate loads and speeds of up to 100 RPM and provide reliable performance in temperatures up to 750° F (400° C).

Typical applications include bakery and industrial ovens, steel mill equipment, glass plants, conveyors, kilns, stokers and substrate dryers. GRAPHALLOY® cam followers also perform well in low temperature environments of -100° F (-75° C).

GRAPHALLOY®, a graphite/metal alloy, is a uniform, solid, self-lubricating material. GRAPHALLOY® cam followers will not deform under load, maintain dimensional stability and provide a constant low coefficient of friction for improved wear. GRAPHALLOY® cam followers are especially suitable in applications where lubrication or maintenance tasks are cumbersome, difficult or impossible to perform.

Graphite Metallizing's GRAPHALLOY® cam followers are made to industry-standard dimensions. Metric sizes and special or custom designs are also available.

GRAPHALLOY® Eliminates the Need for Grease and Keeps the Ovens Running

Glass ceramic is ideal for use in a variety of appliances because it is resistant to temperature extremes. This unique material is well-suited for use in cooktops and doors for microwave ovens and fireplaces.

Constant greasing and frequent failures drove a major manufacturer of glass ceramic to seek a better solution. The manufacturer was experiencing problems with their production ovens and dryers. Stud-type cam followers with grease lubrication were being used. The cam followers needed replacement after six months because the grease was failing at the high temperature (428° F/220° C).

After learning about the run dry, self-lubricating properties of GRAPHALLOY®  bearings, the manufacturer contacted Graphite Metallizing Corporation and requested a design solution. Eight standard GRAPHALLOY metric cam followers were installed for testing.

After five months, this manufacturer had already realized significant savings because of reduced maintenance costs and the elimination of high cost, high temperature grease. They were so pleased with the performance of the GRAPHALLOY cam followers that they ordered an additional 200 to retrofit their current ovens.

These GRAPHALLOY cam followers have now been in operation for over one year without the need for replacement or the constant greasing of the original equipment.

The manufacturer plans to retrofit additional ovens in plants worldwide with GRAPHALLOY cam followers.