The Solution
A Daedal belt
driven round rail table was designed utilizing (2) 316 stainless
steel bearing shafts combined with phenolic sleeve type bushings
to form the support bearing assembly. The bushing housings were
"self aligning", to enable the bushings to pivot about their
centers adjusting for any misalignment between bushings on each
shaft.
On subsequent
units, Daedal designed a FR4 glass filled phenolic substitute
for 316 stainless and aluminum in the bushings and other
construction components to reduce costs (this material is is
about ¾ the cost of 316 stainless) as well as satisfy the
caustic environment condition. This material demonstrate
machining and strength properties comparable to aluminum and has
chemical resistance properties similar to 316 stainless.
The prototype
unit successfully completed rigorous life testing (over 3
million cycles) to assure that the desired performance would be
achieved. Since then, production units have installed and
operating successfully for over 18 months, requiring only
routine maintenance after six months of continuous operation. |