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Lubrication Protection for Automotive Applications

Automotive Equipment Needs High Performance Lubrication

MicroPoly’s solid lubrication solutions are engineered for the demanding conditions of automotive manufacturing, where equipment reliability and plant cleanliness are critical to uptime and product quality. By replacing traditional grease and oil with a proprietary oil‑filled polymer, MicroPoly helps eliminate lubricant dripping, part contamination, and frequent manual relubrication. These solid lubricants are well‑suited for overhead conveyor wheels, assembly line pallets, and specialized forging and material‑handling equipment where grease leakage can create safety, housekeeping, or quality problems. The oil‑saturated polymer stays in place and releases lubricant as needed, even in wet or aggressive washdown environments, while reducing the risk of lubricant reaching painted surfaces and affecting finish quality. For many applications, MicroPoly offers a “lubed‑for‑life” approach that supports longer bearing and chain life, fewer PM tasks, and cleaner, safer, more efficient automotive production lines.

Automotive Lubrication: Case Studies and Results

  • Bearing Type: Cam followers filled, and bushings and slides plugged with MicroPoly solid profiles.
  • Conditions: Lubrication was difficult to contain in machine, causing a very severe safety hazard as floor became slippery around the machine.
  • Results: Eliminated safety hazard and housekeeping problem. Eliminated amount of lubrication used.

  • Bearing Type: Cam followers filled, and bushings and slides plugged with MicroPoly solid profiles
  • Conditions: Lubrication was difficult to contain in machine, causing a very severe safety hazard as floor became slippery around the machine.
  • Results: Eliminated safety hazard and housekeeping problem. Eliminated amount of lubrication used.

  • Bearing Type: Tapered roller bearing
  • Conditions: Pallets traveled through a transmission washer, which washed the oil out of the bearings. Bearing life 3 months.
  • Results: With installation of MicroPoly, bearing life has been extended to over 2 years. Cost savings are estimated to be $122,500 per year.

  • Bearing Type: MicroPoly Sprocket for #60 chain
  • Conditions: Automation was designed without chain lubrication, causing problems with chain wear and unacceptable chain life.
  • Results: MicroPoly sprockets operated successfully for 7 years with no noticeable wear on either the chain or the sprockets.

  • MicroPoly Type: 1″ x 2″ x 4″ lubrication block in spring loaded mechanism.
  • Conditions: Grease lubrication was extremely messy. The grease also created housekeeping and safety problems. This could potentially contaminate parts of the car during assembly and affect paint quality.
  • Results: Eliminated contamination, housekeeping, and safety problems.

  • MicroPoly Type: 1″ x 2″ x 5′ conveyor chain lubrication block
  • Conditions: Could not lubricate conveyor chain with liquid lubricant, because lubricant contaminated sheet metal prior to painting and affected the paint quality.
  • Results: Extended chain life and solved lubrication problem, therefore eliminating contamination of the sheet metal.

  • MicroPoly Type: Machined MicroPoly block was incorporated into conveyor guide system
  • Conditions: Conveyor chain with a friction strip could not be lubricated, because if oil got on the friction strip, there would not be enough friction to drive a series of rolls moving automotive car seats. The chain was guided in UHMW guide material, held in standard steel guide holders, the full length of the conveyor. An amperage draw check was made before installation, with a reading of 4.5 amperes.
  • Results: Two-foot sections of the MicroPoly blocks were incorporated at intervals for a length of about 10% of the conveyor length. After the installation of the MicroPoly blocks, another amperage draw check was made with the reading of 2 plus amperes, indicating a reduction of friction due to the weeping of oil to the chain and to the UMHW guide material. This resulted in an increase in chain life, reduction in wear of the UMHW guide material, and reduced electric power consumption.

  • Bearing Type: Mounted bearings (flange and pillow block) – about 1″ bore
  • Conditions: Inconsistent manual lubrication of bearings. Over-lubrication frequently caused seals to pop out and grease to drip on floor. Bearing life was inconsistent.
  • Results: Reduced manual maintenance, eliminated safety hazard and housekeeping problem, and also increased bearing life.

  • Bearing Type: 4″ conveyor wheels
  • Conditions: Continuous lubrication required as conveyor goes through washer. Wheels are sprayed with oil, which drips on to the floor causing severe safety hazard and housekeeping problems. Washer solution becomes contaminated. Bearing life 6 to 9 months.
  • Results: With MicroPoly, the bearing life was increased to 3 years. Safety hazards and housekeeping problems have been completely eliminated, with no need for any maintenance of the lube system. A quote from the maintenance foreman “It’s the smartest thing I could have done.”

  • Bearing Type: 2-3/4″ Cam Follower
  • Conditions: Not able to lubricate bearings. Bearing life 2 to 3 months. Speed very slow; heavily loaded.
  • Results: Eliminated early bearing failures. Bearing life increased and is more consistent.

  • Bearing Type: Single row ball bearing #6018 2RS
  • Conditions: Grease was washed out by constant coolant flow. Bearing life 7 to 10 days. Bearing speed approximately 1,200 RPM.
  • Results: Life extended to 6-7 weeks without seals on bearings; over 12 months with seals reinstalled on bearings.

  • Bearing Type: Single row ball bearing #87507
  • Conditions: Manual greasing blew out the seals, causing the grease to be washed out by constant coolant flow and allowing metal chip contamination into the bearings. Bearing life only 2 months. Bearing speed approximately 2,300 RPM maximum; intermittent rotation.
  • Results: At least a 50% life increase with no seals on bearings, increasing uptime and reducing scrap.

  • Bearing Type: 6″ trolley wheels and guide rollers
  • Conditions: Wheels and rollers failed prematurely and were difficult to maintain due to the need for manual lubrication.
  • Results: No failures were recorded in the 5 years after installation. Customer discontinued monitoring. The manual labor required to maintain the wheels and rollers has been eliminated.

  • Bearing Type: 4″ Trolley Wheels
  • Conditions: Wheels failed prematurely. The phosphate solution would get contaminated from the grease dripping into the solution. This caused downtime and high maintenance costs.
  • Results: The wheel life was increased and the maintenance costs were reduced due to the elimination of grease contaminating the phosphate solution.

  • MicroPoly Type: MicroPoly Lube Arcs for wheel flanges on overhead cranes
  • Conditions: An au tomotive manufacturer was experiencing excessive flange wear and premature wheel failure. Wheel life was less than 12 months. Average wear rate on the wheels was 0.542 mm/month.
  • Results: MicroPoly Lube Arcs were installed on the wheels, and the wear rate was reduced to 0.044 mm/month. Lube arcs have been in place for over three years and in that time no wheels have been replaced. The customer reports that they will save over $350,000 over 10 years by installing the MicroPoly lube arcs on three cranes. Cost savings is based on purchasing fewer wheels over the life of the crane and does not include savings from the downtime and labor involved in replacing the wheels.

  • MicroPoly Type: 1″ x 2″ x 20′ conveyor chain lubrication block, #60 chain
  • Conditions: UHMW guide material supporting the chain wore out prematurely. This resulted in inconsistent parts feeding problems. The chain would disengage from sprockets when worn down, leading to frequent guide replacement.
  • Results: Eliminated inconsistent parts feeding problems and frequent guide replacement. After 3 years of use the blocks are still in service.

  • Bearing Type: XLC3, single row ball bearing – 3″ bore
  • Conditions: This bearing is no longer available with seals. Bearing speed was slow, with a very heavy load.
  • Results: All machines have been converted to MicroPoly filled bearings, with longer bearing life than when sealed bearings were used.

  • Bearing Type: MicroPoly gear lubrication – rack & pinion
  • Conditions: Sheetmetal was moved from one position to another using a rack & pinion type loading system. Liquid lubrication could not be used because the sheetmetal was subsequently painted, and contamination from lubricants was not permitted. Rack & pinion life was about 2 months, causing an expensive repair and substantial downtime.
  • Results: A MicroPoly gear was manufactured from a 3.3″

  • Bearing Type: MicroPoly Sprocket for double #40 chain
  • Conditions: Conveyor chain was periodically manually lubricated with an oil sprayer. This caused the oil to drip, thus creating the need to contain the excess oil in pans. Because of the severe safety hazard, the steel pans had to be cleaned out before the equipment and the chain could be serviced.
  • Results: MicroPoly Sprockets have eliminated the safety hazard and increased the chain life.

  • Bearing Type: Roller bearing
  • Conditions: Grease attracted shot blast material. Machine required partial disassembly to lubricate bearings. Bearing life was short and unpredictable.
  • Results: Bearing life has increased more than sixfold, substantially increasing uptime and reducing maintenance costs.

  • Bearing Type: Kaydon #KG300XPO – 30″ bore
  • Conditions: The bearing could not be relubricated. Coolant washed out the grease. The seals did not adequately protect the bearing from metal chip contamination, which caused premature bearing failure. Changing out bearings required several days of machine downtime and high maintenance labor costs. Bearing life less than 1 year.
  • Results: MicroPoly filled bearings eliminated early bearing failures. Bearing life increased to over 4 years. Machine uptime was increased and maintenance costs substantially reduced.

  • Bearing Type: CYR 2-1/2S cam follower
  • Conditions: Grease was washed out by constant coolant flow. Bearing life only 1 to 4 months.
  • Results: Eliminated early bearing failures. Bearing life increased and is more consistent.

  • Bearing Type: Bronze bushings and gear faces utilizing MicroPoly plugs
  • Conditions: Lubrication was pumped vertically to each of the wear components. Lubrication lines would clog and the high load zones were not sufficiently lubricated, causing the overhaul of each press every 7 years of usage.
  • Results: Eliminated the need for lubrication and the associated manual labor. After 7 years the bushings and gear faces showed no wear and did not need to be replaced.

  • Bearing Type: Cylindrical roller and tapered roller bearings – about 4″ bore
  • Conditions: Bearing life was unpredictable due to inconsistent lubrication. Bearings were difficult to reach and the press had to be shut down for manual lubrication. Bearing speed approximately 300 RPM.
  • Results: Five years bearing life achieved consistently. Manual lubrication was eliminated.

  • Bearing Type: Tapered roller bearing
  • Conditions: Machine grinds tire to final roundness and flattens out sidewall for white wall tires. Vertical shaft has one grease fitting on center of shaft so one bearing gets all the grease and top bearing gets none. Large amounts of tire debris in area. Typical bearing life was between 3-9 months.
  • Results: MicroPoly filled bearings are lasting 1-2 years.

  • Bearing Type: Table slides utilizing MicroPoly plugs
  • Conditions: The lubricity of the polymer slide material was lost due to the coolant exposure. This caused the coefficient of friction to increase and excessive force was required to move the table slide.
  • Results: The incorporation of the MicroPoly plugs permitted sufficient lubrication to reduce the coefficient of friction to a low level. The slide can now be moved easily by hand.

  • Bearing Type: Tapered roller bearings #14116/14274 & 14114/12123A
  • Conditions: Bearings were heavily loaded and the vehicles were operated until the bearings failed, causing the hubs or wheels to be damaged about 50% of the time. Average bearing life 6 months; range 3 to 12 months.
  • Results: The bearing life was increased to 3-1/2 years, increasing the utilization of these vehicles. Customer reported a cost savings of $337,314.76 for the fleet of 47 vehicles.

  • Bearing Type: 2-1/2″ cam follower
  • Conditions: Bearing in conveyor could not be lubricated. Dirt and contamination were working into bearing, causing bearing to fail in 1 or 2 months.
  • Results: With installation of MicroPoly, bearing life has been extended past 1 year and bearings were still operating.

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