Mining

• Success Stories
• Bronze: Three Ifs
• Fit Vesconite bushes... forget about regular greasing
• Vesconite is different to nylon

Fit Vesconite bushes. Forget about regular greasing.

• Up to 10 times the life of bronze in dirty conditions
• Not affected by water
• Survives greasing failures

Bronze: Three Ifs

Bronze is the traditional material used for bushes in mines. Traditional because there were no viable alternatives. Until Vesconite fit-and-forget bushes.

The problem with bronze is that it does not always perform well in the dirty, often wet conditions found on the mines. Also, bronze parts are often stolen for their scrap value.

Bronze works well as a bushing material

• If regularly greased
• If dirt is kept out
• If there is no moisture or water about

But these are three big Ifs in the harsh conditions encountered in mines.

Hidden costs, non-productive work

Greasing takes time and can be difficult to manage. Typically, access to bushes and grease nipples is difficult, maintenance may be unreliable, and grease nipples often "disappear" under layers of stuff and dirt.

If not regularly greased, bronze bushes wear quickly. Regular replacements of bronze bushes are seen as part of normal maintenance. But bush replacement is costly, involving labour and downtime as well as the cost of the bronze bushes.

If not regularly greased, bronze bushes may seize, damaging shafts and machinery.

If not regularly greased, metal to metal contact leads to wear of shafts and pins. This may mean replacing costly parts or time consuming repairs.

Fit Vesconite bushes... forget about regular greasing

Ideally what is needed are bushes that you fit and forget - no regular greasing, no hassles. Vesconite was developed 25 years ago especially for underground mines to overcome greasing problems associated with bronze bushes.

Vesconite solves bushing problems caused by

• a lack of, or irregular greasing
• dirty conditions
• moisture and wet conditions

Many weekly or monthly greasing tasks can be eliminated with Vesconite. If greasing is eliminated, rust free shaft surfaces (for example stainless steel or chromed steel) may be needed. This is because corroded shafts increase the wear rate of Vesconite bushes.

Up to 10 times the life of bronze bushes in dirty and wet conditions

Vesconite survives well without regular lubrication and gives between two and ten times the life of bronze depending on the application.

Heavy duty applications may require initial greasing or even regular lubrication. In some cases oil circulation may be needed. In all cases, lubrication for Vesconite bushes is much less critical than with metal bushes.

Dirt and dust do not impede the performance of Vesconite. Vesconite thrives in wet environments, using water as a lubricant instead of being hampered by it.

Metal to metal wear is avoided with Vesconite. This means shaft wear is dramatically reduced - so much so, that many people use Vesconite for this reason alone.

Vesconite is a specialised bearing material made from internally lubricated polymers. It is available as bushing, solid rod and plate in an extensive size range to meet practically all requirements.

Vesconite Hilube for longest life, lowest friction

Vesconite Hilube is an advanced grade of Vesconite. It combines the advantages of Vesconite with lower friction and no stick-slip. Vesconite Hilube gives even longer life than Vesconite, showing exceptionally low rates of wear in unlubricated and lubricated applications. Vesconite Hilube is the supreme fit and forget bearing material.

Vesconite is different to nylon

Nylon bushes have often been tried in mines. In fact, VescoPlastics started as an importer of nylon, and today is the largest extruder of nylon in Africa. But in the wet and humid conditions underground, results obtained from nylon are often disappointing.

Nylon absorbs moisture - up to 9% by mass in a humid atmosphere. This causes nylon to swell by up to 3%. Swelling means that clearances are lost and unexpected seizures occur.

Humidity also causes nylon to soften. This leads to the wear rate speeding up, and bushes squeezing out because they cannot take the bearing load. Vesconite's water absorption is so low that any swelling and softening effects are negligible.

Vesconite, the fit and forget bushing material, gives long life together with low maintenance.