When a customer in the coil tubing drilling industry came to TriStar looking for a solution to an all-too-common problem, our engineers knew it would take more than just a materials swap—it would take rethinking the entire roller design. The request: replace a heavy, short-lived cam roller on a coil tubing injector rig, a system that pushes miles of continuous drill tubing into the earth using massive hydraulic force.
Tough Conditions Meet Tougher Engineering
Coil tubing rigs work everywhere from the frozen tundra of northern Alberta to the heat and humidity of offshore Gulf platforms. In these extremes, conventional steel cam rollers wear out fast, sometimes failing within a week. At over $250 apiece and with dozens used per injector head, these frequent replacements drove up both downtime and cost. TriStar was challenged to deliver a lightweight, lubrication-free roller that could survive crushing loads, abrasive debris, and temperature swings, all without compromising performance.
A Bold Redesign with CJ Bearings at the Core
TriStar’s engineers turned to our proven CJ bearing technology, designing a new roller assembly built around a Super CJ reinforced liner. CJ’s self-lubricating properties made it ideal for the no-grease environment of coil tubing operations, while its compressive strength and dimensional stability met the high-load demands. We added reinforced rubber wiper seals to each end to block dirt, grit, and drilling fluids—one of the main culprits behind early bearing failure.
For good measure, TriStar produced dual sets of prototypes: half featuring a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for surface hardening and reduced friction, and half incorporating a carbon-fiber-reinforced, heat-dissipating polymer bearing to test thermal performance in real-world conditions.
Field-Proven Results in the Harshest Environments
Testing took place across shale oil fields in Alberta and gas service drill units in the Permian Basin of Texas. Both liner variations exceeded expectations, with the DLC-coated rollers extending life by an impressive 40% over uncoated designs. The new rollers delivered a 70% weight reduction versus steel, ran completely dry without lubrication, and came in 30% below the cost of the original metal rollers.
What started as a high-risk challenge became a breakthrough in design—proof that with the right combination of materials and engineering creativity, even “impossible” applications can roll smoothly.
Innovation That Doesn’t Stop at the Drawing Board
Sometimes you get lucky—but as our team likes to say, luck favors the well-prepared engineer. Each component in this design was backed by decades of materials expertise, analysis, and hands-on testing. TriStar’s collaborative approach helped turn a field problem into a performance advantage, keeping rigs running longer, lighter, and cleaner.
To explore how TriStar’s engineered materials can transform your toughest application, contact our experts today.
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