Wheeler Industries Tip Sheet: The Top 5 Things to Know About Aluminum for Industrial Bearing Replacement for RoHS Compliance and to Go Green

North Charleston, SC (PRWEB) November 01, 2013

Companies are looking for ways to go green and replace hazardous materials in their products. Many common sleeve-bearing materials contain lead and cadmium, but can now use aluminum alloys. Fluid film bearings at http://www.wheelerfluidfilmbearings.com have less of an environmental impact, yet still have reliable performance. Aluminum replaces bronze and Babbitted bearings that have harmful materials. Here are the top tips to know before choosing a manufacturer to supply bearings for your new applications or to replace existing sleeve bearing using aluminum alloys.

1.     Know the aluminum alloy is RoHS compliant.

RoHS compliant means that products follow the regulations put forth by the European Union regarding Restriction of Use of Hazardous Substances, such as, lead, cadmium, mercury and several other harmful materials. Aluminum bearings, http://www.wheelerfluidfilmbearings.com/aluminum-products, are free of lead and cadmium and are RoHS compliant helping companies meet their RoHS guidelines.

2.     Choose Aluminum Alloy A850 as a replacement for Bronze Bearings.

Choosing aluminum alloy A850 for bearings helps companies go green without sacrificing quality and reliability. Using aluminum that is environmentally friendly makes the bearings suitable for food processing and other industries that require contaminant-free materials. Aluminum alloys are also recyclable, which provides companies with economic benefits.

Aluminum fluid film bearings provide strength while cutting out the weight and reducing material costs. Companies can also use the “go green” information in marketing materials to help their customers reduce their environmental impact.

3.     Know the additional benefits of aluminum.

Aluminum alloys reduce the weight of the product by almost 70% when compared to copper based alloys. Because most aluminum comes from recycled metal, the cost per pound of Aluminum A850 Alloy is 40% less than Bronze and 75% less than Babbitt. Also compared to traditional bearing materials, aluminum alloy A850 has excellent strength and load-carrying capability, is resistant to corrosive materials in lubricants, has good fatigue resistance, and is capable of withstanding high speeds and high shock loads while providing long life.

4.     Benefit from experienced high tech aluminum manufacturers and designers

Aluminum castings manufacturers, http://www.wheelerfluidfilmbearings.com/aluminum-products, and design engineers that you choose should be experienced in prototype and/or high production runs. They need to provide you with examples of implementations of aluminum alloy products that are successful in the industries similar to yours. The manufacturer you choose should provide you with quick turnaround and minimize down time.

5.     Know the aluminum alloys to use for your industry.

These are the aluminum alloys that are suitable for the following industries and productions:

• A850.1; A852.1

Suitable for compressors, seals, deflectors, track rolls, engines

• A850-T5

Widely used in the automotive industry

• ZA-6; ZA-12; ZA-27

Zinc-aluminum alloys are suitable for pulley, pumps, and mills

There are several markets that have successfully adopted aluminum alloys in place of lead and cadmium used in their bronze and babbitt precision bearings:

Diesel Engines
HVAC and compressors
Packaging
Oil & Gas equipment
Construction

The applications for use with aluminum bearings encompass a wide range of products. Industries around the world can use aluminum bearings in their products to provide a more earth-friendly product that markets itself to their customers, follows required regulations, and provides cost savings for the business.

About Wheeler Industries, Inc.

For close to a century, Wheeler has been helping industry solve their bearing needs by providing world-class manufacturing, rebabbitting services and design assistance. General Electric Support Services selected Wheeler Industries as their sole partner in supplying replacement bearings, oil rings and seals to the electric motor industry.

Together we maintain the largest inventory in the world of replacement motor parts for any urgent or planned requirement.

Since 1919, Wheeler Industries has led the field in the manufacture and repair of industrial aluminum, Babbitt and bronze bearings and component parts. Our 17,000 square foot manufacturing site houses an in-house foundry, cutting-edge technology and equipment, 40,000+ drawings, and provides you with access to the largest inventory of replacement motor parts in the world.

You can expect the members of our customer support staff to be knowledgeable and friendly. At Wheeler you get a person, not a recording. You get a dedicated account manager so you don’t have to re-invent the wheel every time you call. You get a one year warranty for your product. When needed, maintenance and repair customers get overnight shipment.