Engineering Services: Maximizing ROI with Expert Material Selection and Engineering
The TriStar Advantage: A Comprehensive Approach to Solving Complex Challenges
The TriStar Advantage reflects a three-phase commitment to engineering support, custom fabrication, and in-house manufacturing.
This integrated model at the core of our business allows TriStar to deliver components that solve seemingly unsolvable problems, tangibly improve designs, and unlock new efficiencies.
TriStar offers the full breadth of engineering capabilities needed to address nearly any challenge related to high-performance polymer bearings and related components, from design, to prototyping, to production.
Our team combines material science expertise with hard-earned experience spanning thousands of applications and 70+ different industries. We provide:
- Detailed application review, with a focus on understanding the precise mechanical context of each application, including environmental factors, mating materials, ease of maintenance, and full lifecycle economics.
- Material selection support, drawing on deep application-specific expertise and our arsenal of more than 400 high-performance materials. Our diverse and highly customizable lineup allows us to address challenging use cases ranging from bearings for highly acidic chemical pumps to harmonic vibration dampeners for high-end audiophile equipment.
- In-house manufacturing, surface modification, and machining, including stock shapes and custom fabrication at one of our U.S. based facilities. These internal capabilities, coupled with our Enhanced Materials Division, allow us to provide custom blends and unique sizes.
- Advanced analytical tools for material identification, performance testing, and research—including FTIR spectroscopy and tribological testing in-house, with additional techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) available through trusted partners.
- Comprehensive development support, including CAD/CAM services, assistance with component geometry and manufacturability, and process engineering.
- Educational resources, including both digital learning resources and on-site training seminars to help teams build knowledge and confidence in their material decisions.
This depth of services represents a tangible benefit available to all organizations that purchase TriStar’s products.
Our engineers work with clients through an all-phases engineering partnership, whether they come to us preemptively with engineering challenges, purchase our products through distributors, or encounter issues after installation.
The Importance of Value-Added Engineering Expertise
The capabilities outlined above go far beyond those of typical commodity bearing manufacturers, and in our experience, they are a crucial foundation for:
- Diagnosing root causes of customer failure points to develop practical solutions with minimal rework and delays.
- Pinpointing opportunities to deliver added value through components that last longer, perform better, and require less maintenance.
- Implementing material selection and design practices that preemptively mitigate the most common causes of failure in bearings and other components.
- Solving problems for customers who experience unforeseen issues (and in some cases, even problems customers didn’t know they had).
Strategic component optimizations can have an outsized economic impact. For example, in manufacturing facilities, downtime for greasing or component replacement is immensely costly, and our self-lubricating solutions have saved customers hundreds of thousands in annual costs. In another case, we recommended a switch to a high temperature material for a conveyor roller component, extending its lifespan from around two weeks to around two years.
Prototype to Production Partnerships for Customers Large and Small
From small local manufacturers to massive global enterprises, our engineering services provide added value for our customers. TriStar engineers are at home contributing to multinational aerospace and defense projects, specialized forestry equipment, or highly demanding semiconductor manufacturing processes.
TriStar offers hands-on support for smaller organizations without in-house materials engineers. For larger enterprises, we bring technical sophistication and resources to collaborate smoothly with internal teams at every stage.
Collaborative Engineering: A Partnership Approach
The TriStar engineering team works directly with customer engineering, maintenance, and executive leaders to understand the specifics of each application and help identify the best path forward.
You will frequently find our engineering team onsite assessing machinery, troubleshooting issues, and working through design or material selection considerations in real-world conditions.
Our consultative engineering approach is rooted in a recognition that there is no perfect material, only the right one for the application at hand.
Our commitment to collaboration isn’t limited to TriStar products. If the right solution falls outside our portfolio, we’ll say so, and help point the customer in the right direction.
We aren’t afraid to deliver engineering solutions that ultimately mean our customers need to purchase fewer or less costly components from TriStar (like when our material selection helped dramatically extend the lifespan of a bottling line component) because our company culture is built on problem-solving. When presenting alternative materials for customer projects, we rank options along a “good-better-best” spectrum; in many cases, the best material is not the highest-cost option.
Our collaborative engineering approach is a big part of why you will find TriStar components in highly demanding applications like the International Space Station (ISS). Early in the space station’s development, NASA and Boeing struggled to find the right material for a rapid deployment repair tool; existing materials struggled to maintain an effective seal for helium in a vacuum environment with temperatures ranging from -250°F to +250°F. They called on TriStar to help. In this case study, we explore how we answered the call with a modified fluoropolymer that was able to not only stop helium leaks but enable greater pressure in the system.
Custom Material Optimizations: TriStar’s Enhanced Materials Division
TriStar’s Enhanced Materials Division (EMD) serves as a powerful complement to our lineup of advanced polymers, offering customers additional options for addressing complex engineering challenges through sophisticated enhancement processes. If our extensive lineup of polymers does not provide the right fit for your application, EMD can help develop a tailored solution.
EMD’s in-house testing and analysis capabilities empower in-depth problem-solving on behalf of our customers. When one long-term customer approached our team with an equipment failure, we immediately tested our associated Rulon component and found that it was performing according to specifications.
Our next step was to investigate the metal mating materials. Drawing on spectrographic analysis, high-powered microscopes, surface profilometry, and chemical analysis, the EMD team was able to pinpoint the root cause: copper content discrepancies in the mating surface. Our ultimate recommendation was to use a larger copper washer to maximize the surface area distribution of the Rulon. We take a deeper look at this example here.
Plasma Treatment Services
EMD employs plasma treatments to modify material surfaces at the molecular level, enhancing properties such as adhesion, wettability, and inertness. For a deeper explanation, see our Plasma Surface Treatments 101 article.
This technique is particularly effective in preparing surfaces for secondary manufacturing processes, promoting improved bonding, and boosting longevity for coatings and adhesives. For example, by “super cleaning” components using Plasma, TriStar EMD was able to boost bond strength to prevent potentially disastrous rubber delamination for aircraft bearings, which must withstand thousands of cycles at extreme hot and cold temperatures.
Contract Manufacturing Support
EMD provides comprehensive contract manufacturing services, encompassing:
- Product Requirement Generation: Collaborating with clients to define and document precise product specifications.
- Rapid Concept Development: Accelerating the transition from idea to prototype through efficient design methodologies.
- Design for Manufacturing: Ensuring designs are optimized for manufacturability, minimal production complexities, and cost.
- Design Control Per ISO 13485: Adherence to stringent quality management standards, particularly for medical device manufacturing.
Industrial Design
Our team supports projects where form and function intersect by applying proven industrial design principles to improve usability, appearance, and overall product experience, particularly in regulated or consumer-facing applications.
Case Studies: TriStar’s Material Experts in Action
For more examples, see our full engineering case study library here.
Solving Three Problems with One Component
Challenge: A water bottling plant was experiencing frequent part failure and unplanned downtime due to worn bearings in a bottle-washing application.
Solution: TriStar implemented three targeted material upgrades, a Torlon 4301 cam roller, a UHMW snap-over cam ring, and Rulon 641 valve stem bushings. Each was chosen to solve a distinct problem, resulting in significantly reduced maintenance windows and improved system reliability.
Enabling Shipboard Seafood Processing
Challenge: A marine processor needed a self-lubricating bearing that could withstand saltwater, heavy loads, and routine washdowns aboard a floating seafood processing plant.
Solution: TriStar provided a CJ bearing solution tailored for extreme marine environments and continuous operation.
“Engineering to Fail” for Advanced Cancer Treatment Equipment
Challenge: A medical device manufacturer needed a sacrificial wear part to protect high-value components in precision cancer treatment machines.
Solution: TriStar engineered a polymer component with controlled wear properties that would reliably fail before damaging more critical assemblies.
Why Choose TriStar Plastics?
Whether you’re sourcing a standard stock shape component or navigating an application that doesn’t yet have a clear solution, TriStar is here to help. Our experienced engineers have the deep knowledge of plastic and related applications needed to not only solve specific technical challenges but also lead customer projects past uncertainty. Many of our most successful projects begin with limited specifications, unresolved performance issues, or unique mechanical requirements.
What sets us apart is our willingness to engage early and often, dig in, and ask detailed questions to help move the project forward with confidence.
That flexibility is part of what makes TriStar different. We built our engineering, fabrication, and manufacturing capabilities to adapt to a wide range of needs, from straightforward to highly specialized. Whatever the challenge, we are committed to helping our customers make smart decisions, reduce risk, and realize lasting value in the field.