A large freight-rail operator in Australia has approved Vesconite Hilube brake linkage bushings for its locomotive fleet, to replace bushings in its fleet’s brake levers and improve its park brake performance. Brake linkage bushings are essential to brake rigging systems, which distribute braking forces from the brake cylinder to the various wheels using rods and […]

When engineers at Hoover Dam determined that the original cast iron lantern rings built into some of its turbines needed to be replaced, they were looking for a solution to help them overcome the corrosion issues they experienced with the cast iron. The maintenance team also faced another challenge. The Colorado River serves as a […]

Vesconite Bearings is pleased to announce the successful testing of its Hitemp 160 machined bushings in a demanding application in South Korea. The client, a prominent industrial entity, carried out testing by fully submerging the bushings in an oleum (fuming sulphuric acid at 30% concentration) up to a temperature of 80ºC while utilizing an Alloy […]

When one hydroelectric plant operator took an environmental stance against water pollution, it went cold turkey on its use of grease in its plants. Grease is a common lubricant on bronze bushings, ensuring that the bronze bushings can move easily since the coefficient of friction is reduced with grease. However, since grease needs to be […]

A hydro turbine company based in Portland, Maine, USA, has chosen Vesconite Bearings’ lowest-friction material for the thrust bearings on its free-stream turbines. The material, Vesconite Superlube, has one of the lowest coefficients of friction of any plain bearing material available, with a coefficient of friction lower than virgin PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). “Thrust bearings made from […]

There are times when a simple pump design and less maintenance are preferred by pump users, especially in messy dirty wastewater applications. Such was the case with one wastewater plant operator in South Africa, which was being called in every couple of weeks to remove, disassemble, and clean wastewater pumps at one or other of […]

Indian hydroelectric projects offer unique challenges: they are exposed to monsoon floods for a few months of the year and then a dry spell for the rest of the year. After being dormant for long periods, bearings associated with these projects have to cope with a deluge of water containing debris from the floods. These […]

Vesconite Bearings has received its China Classification Society (CCS) Certificate of Works Approval. This was announced by Vesconite Bearings Quality Control Manager Jaco Prinsloo, who notes that the certification is valid for four years and is one of the certifications that clients request to confirm that Vesconite and Vesconite Hilube rudder bearings and stern tubes […]

Hydro turbine bearing components machined from Vesconite Hilube have been installed at the Crai Water Turbine and Pollok Sawmill Projects in Wales. The UK consultant on hydroelectric turbine design and maintenance on the project had first come to hear about Vesconite bearing materials in 2021, when the restoration projects were still in the conception stage. […]

A New Zealand builder of composite motor yachts has forward-ordered five bearing sets for its upcoming builds later this year. The company’s yachts range from 15 to 50 meters and the boat maker specializes in engineering excellence and quality finishes and interiors for its high-performance carbon-fiber racer-cruising yachts. The boat maker last took delivery in […]

Preparation for repairs of marine vessels often involves precise planning. This is why Vesconite Bearings Netherlands has already decided on the date of despatch for a Vesconite Hilube stern tube bearing that will be delivered to Vigo, located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain, in March. The order for the bearing was […]

Labyrinth seals can now be ordered from Vesconite Bearings using client specifications. This follows the supply and successful use of Vesconite labyrinth seals by several large pump original equipment manufacturers in multiple labyrinth seal designs over the past 10 years. Labyrinth seals are mechanical seals that provide a long path for water to flow through […]

A desalination plant in the Middle East commissioned a 6 MW pump with a Vesconite labyrinth seal in 2022. This is according to the product manager at a large Austrian technology company tasked with designing the pump. His company advertises that “thanks to today’s state-of-the-art technologies, potable water, and desalination plants are able to achieve […]

Vesconite Bearings commissioned a dedicated facility for high production runs of finished parts in June. This follows its purchase of a thousand-square-meter structure that had been used as a grain silo and then as a seed store by its previous owners. Known as Welgeleë, or “well established” after the farm at which it was previously […]

Vesconite Bearings has received a large order for wear-resistant bushings from a Canadian manufacturer that manufactures air seeders, among other equipment. This is according to Vesconite application developer Marius van Zyl, who has been involved in the project since its start. The project began when an Australian distributor of the air seeder tested standard Vesconite […]

A forklift rental company in the Cape Winelands, South Africa, is experiencing less downtime, expenditure, and fewer equipment repairs thanks to the introduction of Vesconite king pin and thrust bearings on its forklifts. This is according to brothers Jacques and Van Rhyn who, together with their father, Japie du Plessis, supply forklifts to clients in […]

Vesconite Bearings is proud to have supplied its largest-ever machined stern tube bearing from the long-life, wear-resistant, no-swell bearing material Vesconite Hilube. The order was completed with the assistance of a recently-purchased six-meter centre lathe, which is part of Vesconite Bearings’ newly-introduced extra-large marine bearings’ facility. The long aft stern tube bearing measured 534 mm […]

Anyone involved in agriculture will tell you that maintenance is crucial to your equipment’s life and performance and will quickly come back to bite you if it is neglected. A planting row unit has many moving parts, all of which need to work in harmony to ensure continuous and accurate seed placement, in the harshest […]

Vesconite Bearings has established a dedicated extra-large bearings facility within its factory. It will manufacture no-swell low-friction self-lubricating bearings for large ocean-going vessels, including container ships and oil tankers. The dedicated facility houses five large horizontal lathes, including a six-meter lathe and two large vertical lathes. It also includes an upgraded Superclad machine, which builds […]

A drop-size carrot sorter, with Vesconite plain bearings installed on its conveyor chains, has worked well at South Africa’s largest carrot producer for two years. The carrot producer installed the bearings on one of its two processing lines to test whether the processing line with Vesconite performed better than the standard processing line. Since installation, […]

Vesconite Bearings hopes to be part of the global program to reduce lead exposure from drinking water. It produces products resistant to corrosion-combatting chemicals (which are necessary to reduce lead leaching into the water system). It also provides lead-free bearing materials for pumps and water systems. Fuel and paint were the most important sources of […]

A wear-resistant bearing material produced by Vesconite Bearings, Hitemp 150, has been certified for drinking water use by the Water Regulations Approval Scheme (WRAS). WRAS is an independent UK certification body for plumbing products and materials. It informed Vesconite that Hitemp 150 “is suitable for contact with wholesome water for domestic purposes”. Hitemp 150 components […]

Vesconite Hilube low-maintenance low-friction 3D printer bushings played an important part in the fabrication of a fossil giant wombat skeleton (Phascolonus sp.) for an exhibit on Australian Megafauna. Phascolonus was two to three times larger than modern wombats, and had a bodyweight of up to around 200 kg. The project consisted of over 100 components, […]

Vesconite wear-resistant sleeve bearing replacements have been fitted as standard components in a range of Powerstart hydraulic and turbine starter motors, with some 550 of these motors in the field at the end of May 2021. These plain bearings replaced internal and external needle-roller bearings, which are a special type of roller bearing with thin […]

A time-lapse video proves that Vesconite Superlube low-friction, high-load-carrying bearings perform well as sliding bearings in large structures, including soccer stadiums. The video starts shortly after 7 pm and shows structural movement throughout the evening when the stadium concrete beams contract due to cooling and continues past mid-day when higher temperatures result in expansion. These […]