Case Study: Krytox® keeps conveyor trolleys rolling far beyond expectations
Bearings lubricated with Krytox® at GM's Lake Orion paint plant remain in excellent condition after six years of continuous use.
Application Description
0verhead power and free conveyor trolley bearing assemblies, used in automotive paint ovens, must be able to withstand one of the most hostile working environments.
Typical paint ovens operate in a super-saturated, phosphoric-filled atmosphere where temperatures range from 191° to 218°C (375° to 425°F). The open-faced trolley bearings continuously track lubricants throughout the conveyor track. Most lubricants carbonize and form a black crust on the trolley wheels. This problem increases operating costs, due to product contamination and the increased downtime required for cleanup.
Materials Selected and Why
In the mid-1980s, after more than six years of extensive prototype testing at GM's Van Nuys, California, and Lake Orion, Michigan, plants, Allor Manufacturing received a patent for its new precision trolley bearing design with Krytox® lubricants. In 1990, Allor installed the first complete line of bearings filled with Krytox® GPL grease at GM's Lake Orion assembly plant.
During a regular inspection, the maintenance personnel discovered an inventory mixup where 40 percent of the 2,400 trolley bearings in the system had not been changed on schedule. In spite of the oversight, the original bearings lubricated with Krytox® were in excellent condition after six years of continuous use.
In March 1998, GM decided to install a complete new system of Allor trolley bearings with Krytox® at its Lake Orion facility. GM and Allor also agreed to extend the equipment re-evaluation deadline/period to four years. And, if the reassessment goes well, they may elect to run the system even longer.
The GM/Allor story has spread throughout the automotive industry and other markets. Recently, Allor installed similar systems at five other GM facilities and two DaimlerChrysler plants.
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