Welcome to the third edition of The Shooting Star, Tri-Star Plastics Corp.?s new technical brief.

Tri-Star Plastics is pleased to introduce you to Rulon^TM, a proprietary family of reinforced PTFE materials from St. Gobain. Rulon materials are unique formulations developed specifically for self-lubricating, low friction bearings, seals, gaskets and structural components. Available in many compounds, Rulon can be used in temperatures from ?400ºF to +550ºF and is inert in most chemical environments. For bearing applications, Rulon materials have PV ratings up to 10,000. Some Rulon materials are excellent thermal and electrical insulators, while others are made for static dissipative requirements. Below are some of the more common Rulon materials available.

Rulon LR (formerly LD) ? Maroon in color, chemically inert with excellent dielectric properties. Due to the nature of the filler material it is recommended that the mating shaft hardness be at least 35RC. Rulon LR is the most commonly used material for general purpose bearing applications.

Rulon AR (formerly A) ? Maroon in color, very similar to the LR but primarily used for seal and gasket applications. Better flexibility than LR, with similar chemical, temperature and dielectric properties. Good resistance to cold flow in gasket applications where chemical and temperature exposure are problems.

Rulon J - Gold in color, lowest coefficient of friction of any filled PTFE bearing compound. Excellent wear properties against soft mating metals such as aluminum and stainless steel.

Rulon 641 ? White in color, FDA cleared, used in food and pharmaceutical applications. Excellent high temperature wear properties, will work against soft shaft materials such as stainless and aluminum. Not affected by normal wash down media found in food processing and packaging industries. Excellent seal material for pumps and valves with wear properties similar to Rulon J.

Rulon 488 ? Blue/green in color, developed originally for veneer dryer applications where long term exposure to high temperatures require superior wear properties. Runs well against all shaft materials and wear properties actually improve as temperature rises.

Rulon W2 ? Black in color, excellent bearing material for underwater applications. Works well against all shaft materials.

Rulon 142 ? Blue/green in color, bronze tint. Improved replacement material for Shamban?s Turcite B Slydway? material. Low friction, excellent unlubricated wear properties and good heat dissipation. Primarily used as a linear slide material for machine tool X, Y and Z saddles. Also used in expansion joints and bridge pads. Etched one side for adhesive bonding to the steel substrate.

Rulon LR, J and 641 are available from Tri-Star stock as standard sleeve, flange and thrust bearings. Rulon materials are available in rod, tube, sheet and skived tape.

This is representative of some of the Rulon family of materials. Contact Tri-Star?s Technical Service Department for recommendations of the appropriate material for your application. Tri-Star can also assist you with non-standard sizes to fit your specific requirements.

Rulon is a registered trademark of St. Gobain. Turcite is a registered trademark of Busak and Shamban Co.