It’s no secret that quality composite plastic bearings can help you achieve better application outcomes. After all, low-quality bearing materials can actually damage your manufacturing equipment. They often don’t sit right, or may cause abrasion to your mating hardware. In the worst cases, low-quality bearings can causes your finished products to fail in the field, resulting in a costly product recall. Have you ever wondered which quality features are important to look for? And just why they are important? Today we share five.

Did you know that US rail industry boasts over 70,000 miles of track? At TriStar, we’ve provided composite bearings to the rail industry for decades (see the railroad video), to help improve rail safety. From brake and caliper beams, to track clearing and railcar wash systems, composite bearings have the long-term durability and corrosion resistance that can’t be matched by bronze, steel and other bearing materials. 

Here’s how we helped a manufacturer of rail clearing equipment optimize performance.

A major producer of offshore drilling equipment has struck oil with increased production after switching their bronze bearings to CJ composite bearings in their drilling operations. Not only has their maintenance time decreased, but they now boast a more eco-friendly drilling process thanks to grease-free composites.

Today’s post is dedicated to composite bearings – specifically, CJ composite journal bearings. You may already know that CJ bearings excel in industries where strength, durability, and vibration tolerance matter; including agriculture, marine, railroad and oil and gas applications. But how do composite bearings provide this high-level of performance? How are they made?

Springtime in New England (the headquarters of TriStar Plastics), is synonymous with road repair and pot-hole filling after a long winter of endless freezing and thawing cycles. Did you know that low-friction bearings ― specifically CJ composite bearings ― give paving equipment the ability to apply a smooth asphalt surface despite rough pavement, hot asphalt mix and heavily-cantilevered conditions? You might even say CJs resist high load and temperatures to “cement” their superiority in asphalt paving equipment!

It’s been a tough few months for rail and transit systems, as this winter’s record cold and snowfall caused long delays and even a few tragic derailments. As a longtime partner to rail manufacturers, I was reminded how a simple change from metal to composite bearings helped one major transit system improve safety on the rails by reducing the threat of fire. 

Our last blog post about Bearing Guide Specs vs. Actual Performance prompted many follow-up questions. Today we’ll review composite bearings in a marine application as an example of closely evaluating bearing guide specs vs. actual performance. As we mentioned, it is critical to look beyond bearing guide data to predict the field performance of a material.

As I write this post, the East Coast is recovering from epic winter storm Juno. With snow depths measured in feet (not inches), plus freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions, it’s safe to say this storm was one for the ages. And had a significant impact on the ski industry!

Did you know that TriStar helped a major manufacturer of ski grooming equipment reduce overall bearing costs by simply replacing bronze bearings with composite? The result was a bearing that lasted 4x longer than standard bronze. 

Ultracomp composites replace stainless steel, extend service

Encompassing more than 660,000 square miles of raw wilderness, islands and glaciers, Alaska is a recreational paradise and growing tourist destination. And the best means of traversing this “Last Frontier,” is by plane; frequently the DHC-2 Beaver, which has served the area since the 1940s. TriStar is helping a leading Alaskan air charter company maintain these vintage props and soar with new composite bearing materials.