Bearings made of ToughMet carry heavier loads, last longer, require less maintenance and virtually eliminate downtime for unplanned repairs, the company said.
Previously, thin-walled bearings made of ToughMet had to be custom ordered and machined from solid bar or thick walled tube. In that process, up to 75% of the material could be wasted, making ToughMet less cost-effective in applications traditionally served by wrapped bearings.
Together, Bowman and Materion developed a method to wrap thin sheets of ToughMet into BowMet bearings, minimizing scrap losses and reducing production costs. By virtually eliminating the waste, Bowman can pass on the cost savings to users, making ToughMet a viable upgrade over traditional wrapped bearings and other types of bearing materials and systems.
