Solutions for Demanding Applications
Aftermarket Automotive Suspension
Aftermarket Automotive Suspension
Overview
An automotive company that specializes in aftermarket suspension solutions was looking for a urethane bushing to replace a rubber bushing used in a suspension application. The rubber bushing was too hard, made noise, and did not bond well to the aluminum insert used in the application.
Argonics’ Solution
Argonics provided the automotive company with urethane samples of multiple hardnesses. After testing, they selected a particular urethane that was silent, provided a softer ride, and bonded well to the aluminum insert. They immediately ramped up production and started installation of their chosen urethane bushings in their application.
Because of the quality and dependability of Argonics’ urethane solutions, the automotive company continues to look to Argonics as their urethane specialist, routinely purchasing other urethane products. They are also tailoring the performance of their parts using Kryptane® polyurethane.
Precision Rollers
Overview
Argonics achieves a zero defect standard and extends useful life of this custom precision roller, dramatically reducing testing time and replacement cost in this mission critical data center equipment.
Application Problem
A supplier of precision OEM components for computer hardware needed a solution for sensitive robotic components in a data center environment. This capital equipment served mission critical applications for Fortune 500 companies around the world.
The manufacturer demanded a zero defect standard. This 3/4″ diameter roller carries a 25 lb load, traveling over 10 million linear inches without failure. The previous manufacturer’s rollers were delaminating, leading the customer to reject the components at a 10 to 15% failure rate in pre-installation testing. In the field, the former supplier’s rollers failed 5% of the time – unacceptable to this high quality manufacturer and well outside of the specified standards.
Argonics’ Solution
The customer turned to Argonics to solve this problem. Argonics’ meticulous testing process showed several areas for improvement. Results showed that the bearing required intensive pre-treatment of the roller components to eliminate the delamination problem.
The Argonics solution was a success. Today, the Kryptane precision roller maintains a zero failure rate in the field and less than 1% in pre-installation testing, restoring the manufacturer’s confidence and achieving significant cost savings.
Precision Roller Specifications:
- .75″ diameter roller with .062″ thick urethane tire running on a round rail less than .25″ wide.
- Roller supports a 25 lb load rolling on a contact patch about 0.1″ wide at 1.2 miles per hour (540 RPM) for over 150 miles.
- The extended life of the Kryptane rollers allowed the customer to increase the design life specification, yielding a significant reduction in life cycle cost.
- Argonics components proved so reliable the client reduced testing requirements from 100% to testing a 3% sample while reducing field failures to zero – a significant cost savings.
- Over 400,000 Kryptane rollers have been produced and delivered.
Replacement Impact Bars
Introduction
Bulk material plant engineers rely on highly engineered impact zones to withstand the heaviest and roughest material handling applications. They know the growing pressure to maximize uptime while improving safety factors. Our Load Zone™ Impact Bars more than meet this challenge. And now, we are raising the bar: taking our urethane expertise and state-of-the-art engineering to a revolutionary level.
Purpose of Redesign
Our original design served the industry well, but advancements in technology meant that the time had come to look at what we could do to better it. Our engineers spent more than a year prototyping and testing various designs, looking to reduce load deflection and increase bar strength. We carefully analyzed customer feedback, identifying their most critical needs. Using these criteria, we set out to re-engineer and test a new Impact Bar design that excels in meeting the following challenges:
Goals of New Design
- Reduce material spillage
- Minimize belt damage
- Maintain transfer alignment
- Maximize impact absorption
- Mitigate the hazard of bounce
- Settle the bulk product faster
Benefits of Re-Engineering
- Improved productivity
- Decreased down time
- Reduction of clean up labor
- Improved safety
- Reduced maintenance time
- Longer time in between replacement
- Reduced costs
Overview
We looked to strengthen our bars for use in areas where the force of impact from the material’s weight and size create the most damage to material handling equipment. This extreme impact contributes to damaged belts, bent frames and/or causes spillage of material – all of which lead to subsequent down time for adjustments and replacements.
New Design Saves Time and Money
Argonics’ engineers calculated that correcting impact spillage and leakage to reduce clean up and minimize lost material could be worth 25% or more in operating time efficiency and clean up. Depending upon the value of the material being conveyed, the savings in reduced spillage can be even more economically dramatic.
Reduced Hardware Costs
A half-inch bolt and washer was standard on the previous version and continues to deliver reduced fastening costs and save time and money on replacement and set up.
Engineering and Testing Results
- The UHMW polyethylene layer is now twice as thick as the previous bar, effectively increasing the wear life by 2X
- The new design has 24% lower rebound than rubber bars
- The new aluminum base provides better support while increasing overall strength by 241%
Chiller Wheels
Application Problem
A manufacturer of chiller tubes used to chill produce needed to replace their rollers in their current produce loading system. In their chiller tubes, produce was stacked on thick steel beds with steel/cast iron rollers. Since the beds were not perfectly flat, the rollers would fail due to extremely heavy loading (40,000 pounds) and uneven load distribution. The high rates of roller failure lead to constant maintenance and repair.
Argonics’ Solution
After testing a large number of caster wheels with the same outcome, the manufacturer asked Argonics to develop a custom solution. Argonics’ experienced engineers investigated the application and concluded that the lack of uniformity of the steel beds was focusing higher loads on a small number of rollers. They then developed a roller that could be compressed to focus the load on surrounding rollers. The new rollers also had stainless steel hubs and stand-offs due to a wet environment where rust could be an issue.
Results
The rollers held up to both the load duty and cycling that was being asked of them, without having catastrophic failures of individual rollers. They complied enough to the uneven steel beds to work without failing while being rigid enough to handle load duty.
The manufacturer can now retrofit their chillers with Kryptane urethane rollers without worrying about maintenance issues. Rollers can be replaced on a routine maintenance schedule as opposed to being replaced in the field.