This section provides an overview for oilless plates as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 6 oilless plate manufacturers and their company rankings.
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Among the bearing plates for machine tools, an oilless plate is one that does not require lubrication.
These plates exhibit excellent wear resistance in areas where it is relatively difficult to form an oil film due to reciprocating motion, machine shaking, and frequent startup and shutdown.
There are types that have solid lubricant embedded in a round hollow, types that have solid lubricant blended into the plate material, and types that use a material with a low coefficient of friction for the bearing plate that can handle the oilless plate completely.
Oilless plates are often used for bearings in locations where lubrication is mechanically difficult or where oil cannot be used for hygienic reasons, such as in food and beverage machines.
Oilless plates can also be used in combination with lubricating oil to further reduce the coefficient of friction and contribute to higher performance of machine tools.
Furthermore, compared to conventional plates, the cost of lubrication, such as oil cost and various machine design costs for lubricated parts, can be reduced, so they are sometimes used for this purpose.
The principle of oilless plates depends on the material of the plate, but can be broadly classified into the following three methods.
The first and most common is a plate with a solid lubricant such as graphite embedded in a round indentation. This type of plate is lubrication-free by using the manufacturer's recommended lubricant, but has the advantage of not requiring additional lubrication equipment for the machine.
The next type is a method in which the metal material of the plate is blended with a substance with a low coefficient of friction, such as molybdenum disulfide, or formed by blending lubricants. The combination of these materials enables a bearing plate with a low coefficient of friction to be realized, making it possible to eliminate the need for lubrication. Plates with a thin layer of lubricant on the surface layer or plates coated with a resin-based material with a low coefficient of friction are also in this category.
Finally, engineering plastics with a low coefficient of friction can be used as oilless plates instead of metals. In this case, materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyacetal resin are used.
In an unusual case, a specialized manufacturer may be contracted to provide processing services to meet the demand for oilless plates for ordinary bearing plates for some reason.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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