GRAPHALLOY® Takes a Stand Against Heat and Sand

A foundry that specialized in ferrous and non-ferrous shell molded castings had a bearing problem. The high heat and sand in their molding machines were destroying their brass bushings and stopping their production. GRAPHALLOY^®, manufactured by Graphite Metallizing Corp.,provided a solution for this difficult problem.

During production, a casting pattern was mounted to the bottom plate of the machine. Sand was added to the plate. The plate was then rolled back to the center position and the oven lowered over the mold to bake the pattern. The bushings in the arms lowering the oven were exposed to 500°F degrees as well as grit and sand.

As a result of these harsh operating conditions, the brass bushings lowering the oven over the mold were only lasting 2 - 4 weeks. Replacing these bushings required two men - working for nearly two  hours - to make the repair.

The local Graphite Metallizing engineering representative was contacted. A recommendation was made to replace the brass bushings in the arms that raise and lower the oven with GRAPHALLOY Grade 212 High Temperature Bushings.

After the GRAPHALLOY bushings had been in use for 14 months, there was only .003 wear. The company was so pleased with the performance of the GRAPHALLOY bushings that additional orders were placed for all 13 of their molding machines. One of the maintenance repairmen estimated that he was personally saving 30 hours a month.

Once again, GRAPHALLOY proved to be the answer for difficult, high temperature applications.

Food Manufacturer Asks "If Your Bearings Are As Good As You Say They Are..."

GRAPHALLOY® was presented with a challenge from one of the largest food manufacturers in the country. Their frozen food division, specializing in frozen pizza, was experiencing difficulties with the operation of their bakery ovens. The conventional oil-lubricated bearings being used in the ovens were lasting only one week. The customer was replacing 16 to 20 burned-out bearings every seven days for over one year.

As a prime supplier to the school lunch program, this food manufacturer was producing pizza in high volume. They were baking two shifts per day plus a third shift for cleaning, seven days a week. To maintain this level of production, the bakery was using two continuous belt-type ovens with an operating temperature of 525° F (275° C).

The bakery had problems keeping the belt tracking straight as it rolled through the long ovens. On several occasions, the belts and entire sections of the oven were damaged when the belts veered off the track. The customer devised a system of cam follower roller guides to keep the belts on track. The cam followers were mounted on an adjustable bracket with slotted holes to keep the rollers in contact with the belt.

Despite these efforts, the bearings continued to fail. This customer eventually contacted us through our website (www.graphalloy.com) with an email that began, "If your bearings are as good as you say they are...". Sensing their frustration, the local sales representative for Graphite Metallizing met with the customer to evaluate their problem and recommend a solution. Within a few weeks, GRAPHALLOY 1217-24-120.3 cam followers were installed. More than four months later, these cam followers were not showing any signs of wear.

Once again, GRAPHALLOY has exceeded expectations.

In addition to bakery ovens, GRAPHALLOY bearings may be used in dryers, grills, bottling plants and packaging equipment - anywhere grease and oil might fail. GRAPHALLOY bearings also withstand steam cleaning operations without any loss of performance.