New office mailing equipment relies on integrated ball bearing

Sarnatech BNL, UK, manufacturer of precision thermoplastic bearings, have designed and built several high performance ball bearing assemblies for a new folder-inserter office mailer system by Pitney Bowes. The plastic material chosen is Ultraform, the polyacetal by BASF.

The customers’ main requirements for mailing machines that release the office staff from folding and inserting efforts are high operating speed, reliable performance, simplified assembly and low maintenance. This demands moving elements with low friction and integrated features.

Moreover, with this small and low volume desktop machine Pitney Bowes – global provider of mail and document management systems - aimed at using as few complex traditional steel parts as possible in order to reduce product weight and energy requirements. For construction of the different integrated ball bearing assemblies in the Pitney Bowes OfficeRight Mailer machine Sarnatech has chosen Ultraform, the POM from BASF.

The elements supplied by Sarnatech are integrated assemblies that combine the ball bearing with customer specific features. They include shaft support bearings, pinch rollers for paper transportation, paper transfer carriers and cam lift assemblies.

The bearing races and cages are fully moulded. The smallest bearings have diameters of 13 mm and a section thickness of 0.6 mm. Load capacity can go up to 10 kg, tolerances were held to .05 mm depending on the part and for light duty applications, up to 500 million revolutions are possible.

BASF’s Ultraform offers a number of mechanical and chemical properties which are indispensable for these plastic bearing assemblies. Ultraform has high strength and creep resistance.

Its high abrasion and fatigue resistance together with the low friction are of major importance for the maintenance-free performance of the machine. Dimensional stability not only in production but during full product life and resistance to moisture, chemicals and heat are further advantages of BASF’s POM.

The ball bearings made of Ultraform need no lubricant and withstand operating temperatures between – 40&Mac176; and + 80&Mac176; C. They can operate at rotation speeds of more than 5000 rpm. Other typical applications are in copiers, printers, pool cleaners, rotating beacons and domestic appliances.

About The Author:

Bob Ross is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.bearing-n-bearings.com. Keep things running smoothly with ball bearings, roller bearings, ball thrust bearings and tapered bearings.