As we move towards another summer vacation season and treks to amusement parks in North America, we’re reflecting on the many opportunities we have had here at TriStar to serve the entertainment industry over the years. Recently, ride and show developers for one of the more famous parks came to us to ask for our recommendations for upgrades to the many animatronic features on their rides.
These animatronic features include characters from favorite stories we love from our childhood as well as figures imagined by designers and engineers that transport us to new worlds. No matter what the scenario is, the controls that make all the parts move efficiently and appear lifelike require uniform low friction bearings at the many pivot points on arms, legs, torsos, etc.
Constrained Pivots and Challenging Environments Present Challenges for Bearing Selection
Historically, many of these pivot points have used sealed ball bearings that don’t function well in oscillating applications. This is because lubricants don’t circulate efficiently in short, constrained movements which leads to premature wear.
Also, while one could reasonably assume that the conditions for these animatronic features would be fairly benign (considering their family-friendly amusement park locations), that is not always the case. There are submerged features as well as some that are exposed to steam, high temperatures (from the electronics inside the figures), and outdoor exposures to rain, snow, dirt, and grime. Our goal is always to find a single material to withstand these conditions while accommodating maintenance team desires to have no lubrication, long service life, easy installation/replacement, and reasonable cost.
Two Rulon PTFE Composite Bearing Materials Proved Ideal for these Animatronic Applications
For these recent upgrades, TriStar’s engineers settled on two solutions for the bulk of the features. Rulon 488 was our choice for dry service and Rulon W2 for wet. The wet service was more of a challenge due to the very high concentrations of chlorine required to keep hundreds of thousands of gallons of water clear enough for riders to see through when underwater; Rulon W2 has excellent chemical resistance and is our best performer when fully submerged.
Rulon 488 was selected for dry applications since it can run against any shaft hardness without abrasion, has a wide temperature range (-400 to 500°F), excellent steam tolerance, and holds up well in outdoor service.
The Fun Doesn’t Stop There – TriStar Has Solved Many Other Material Challenges for Ride Engineers
TriStar has also supplied many other materials to amusement parks over the years on rides that require more rigorous solutions or are more critical to safety. Whether it’s on a classic rollercoaster-style ride or a movie-themed interactive experience, TriStar has solutions to most design needs in the entertainment industry. We encourage you to reach out to discuss your challenging applications (in any industry).
How Do Self-Lubricating Bearings Lubricate?
