Vesconite Hilube enables smooth pump restart
One of South Africa’s largest independent polyurethane and plastic foam manufacturers was able to restart an important gear pump after a long shutdown due to Vesonite’s Hilube self-lubricating polymer bushings.
The company manufactures 800 tonnes per year of chip mattress blocks, which are used for mattresses, bus seats, gymnasium mats and restaurant seats. The gear pump is used to pump glue to rebound foam chips and because it pumps viscous adhesive liquid at one of the company’s two chip plants, pumps can fail to restart if component parts are immobilised by glue after a long period of inactivity.
However, with the introduction of Vesconite Hilube polymer bushings into the pump, it restarted with ease. The new polymer bushings replaced carbon graphite ones, which had often cracked in the warm operating environment.
The service manager said: “You can’t use an ordinary plastic bush. The gum dries out and sticks to the bush if you try.” The Vesconite bushings did not crack, were self-lubricating and could move in the high-friction environment. He added that Vesconite’s bushing lasted seven months and continued to operate after the holiday period.
