EXPERTS REVIEWS

Babbitt bearings are important to all heavy industrial machinery because they are used for high speed, rotating equipment, such as compressors, turbines, electric motors, large power generators (like those in power plants). Babbitt bearings are sleeve bearings made of certain types of alloys, which are melted down and cast to produce the bearing surface. The Babbitt bearing was invented in 1839 by an American named Issac Babbitt. The first types of Babbitt plain bearings were composed of tin, antimony and copper. This composition is still pretty similar today. Babbitt is soft but strong enough to resist the bearing load. Babbitt bearings are made in a few simple steps: 1. Bearing shells are restored by melting out the original Babbitt material. The grit is blasted from the shells. The bearing shells are inspected and immersed in a 100% molten tin bath to assure a good bond for the new Babbitt. 2. The prepared shell is placed into the casting machine prior to spinning. 3. Special machines are used to spin-cast bearings. These machines employ bottom draw pouring furnaces and inert gas pressurization of the cavity being cast. This guarantees an oxidation free environment for molten metal. 4. When the centrifugal casting process is used, all virgin Babbitt is securely suspended on the walls of the shell, which yields a completely void-free casting and superior grain structure for extended wear and reliability. 5. After the bearings are cast, they are proof-machined and ultrasonically inspected for bond integrity. Can these bearings be refurbished ? Yes we can refurbish these bearings for air compressors such as Ingersoll Rand Centac, Cameron and Atlas Copco ZH compressors. For more information contact us click here or call us on +44 1744 733211 (UK)

We recently designed a 3D printed rear oil seal for Centrifugal compressors that allows rapid exchange of the oil seal ensuring a time saving and ultimately a cost saving. The seal was designed with Solid works software and the plan is to 'factory' test the oil seal in August 2023. Should the test be successful we hope to market the seal not only to the manufacturer but also end users and distributors of this Centrifugal air compressor The original oil seal design doesn't allow a rapid exchange of the oil seal when it starts leaking. This is due to the original oil seal having a solid construction and requires the motor and drive coupling removed before the solid seal can be replaced. Our seal will cut the replacement time down to a couple of hours. For more information contact us at www.ztechnique.com

Our capabilities have expanded this year 2023 to include re-bearing overhauls of all sizes of Atlas Copco 'G' series air ends. "Providing this service for our customers has been both beneficial for both parties since we began investing in equipment and spare G air ends for this venture." MCW A recent order from the USA for 2 x GA250 air ends fully overhauled is underway 12-05-23 as seen here. The saving for this customer has been quite significant even though we are in the UK. Our core stock has improved dramatically by investing in used G series equipment thus ensuring a quick turnaround for customers. We hope to continue improving our re-bearing air end lead times and service exchange capabilities into 2024. Can we help you with overhauling your Atlas Copco oil free and oil flooded compressed air equipment ? Contact us by clicking here and emailing us now, or simply call us +44 (0) 1744 733211