The “New Meldin®” Opens Up New Possibilities for High-Temperature Polyimides
Applications for high-performance polyimides have always been limited by one concern above all...
TriStar offers a wide range of bearing materials that are ideal for non-lubricated, high-load applications.
TriStar is the exclusive partner of Saint Gobain for Rulon materials in North America.
Our capabilities include component design, material selection, prototype, production, and manufacturing.
Since 1982 we have been combining the skills of TriStar’s engineering team, our extensive product line, and our deep understanding of a broad range of industries to bring you solutions to your most challenging engineering needs.
Explore the common causes of bearing failure and learn how advanced polymer and composite bearings can address them.
EMD positions TriStar Plastics as the leading resource to solve your demanding engineering material challenges.
View our library of engineering worksheets — the quickest way to communicate your project specs — or reach out to our engineering team.
Here are a few of our most popular online engineering tools - including our PV calc and material database (450+ materials).
Our collection of case studies, product specs, brochures and other key technical documents.
Our library of free-to-download white papers focus on industry-based solutions, specific materials, bearing design, and more...
These pillar pages provide in-depth information on bearings and problem/solutions for specific industires.
Our popular resources, including our monthly newsletters, blog, and our video library.
TriStar Plastics Corp. provides engineering, custom fabrication and manufacturing of high-performance plastics and self-lubricating bearing materials.
We're dedicated to building a company where opportunities exist for talented people to achieve their maximum potential.
To save time, paper & postage please sign up for paperless invoicing and payments.
A major pharmaceutical company came to TriStar seeking a bearing solution for their single-use stirred tank bioreactors. This device is used to cultivate organisms in a sealed containment system with a controlled environment. This guarantees the optimal growth and metabolic activity of the organism − usually cell cultures.
There are also microbial bioreactors − also referred to as fermenters − and these are commonly used for developing fungi, yeast and bacteria. One of the key components of bioreactors is a flat blade stirring impeller of different designs (depending on the speed and shear requirements of the media).
The impeller shafts are supported by a steady bearing in the top of the tank which has historically been a stainless-steel ball bearing. These bearings required lubrication and seals and had to be able to meet aseptic standards. The customer had also tried ceramic bearings in the reactor but, without lubrication, they produced more noise than the customer could tolerate.
TriStar offers several FDA plane bearing options for applications in both pharma and food processing mixers, blenders, and compounders. Rulon 641, Rulon 1439, Rulon 1337 and Rulon 123 all meet the standards set by these regulatory agencies. Rulon 641 and 1439 also meet USPVI requirements geared specifically towards the pharmaceutical industry.
The advantages of these Rulon materials include:
In addition, Rulon bearings offer a simple design with no moving parts − so noise is not an issue. For this particular application, we determined that Rulon 1439 was the best fit.
Rulon bearings can also be applied to other similar steady bearing applications in food processing, dry compounding and chemical processing equipment. If you have an application that you think Rulon would be ideal for, feel free to reach out to us with the details and we can get the conversation started.
Whether you need engineering assistance or material selection support, our Ask the Experts feature provides a quick and easy way for you to upload your drawing and submit questions to our engineering team.
Applications for high-performance polyimides have always been limited by one concern above all...