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Advanced Zirconia - Z-Bearings®

Carpenter Advanced Ceramics

Screw and bucket conveyors using Carpenter’s Mg-PSZ Z-Bearings are highly efficient and provide a long-term solution for operations in tough, abrasive environments. Maintenance time and replacement costs are dramatically reduced when compared to bearings made from conventional materials.

Z-Bearings are ceramic bearings made from Carpenter’s Mg-PSZ, and provide:

  • Extended bearing life by up to 25 times
  • Substantial increase in journal and shaft life by reducing galling
  • Significant reduction in noise (in most cases)
  • USDA approval for contact with food products
  • Option to replace only bottom half of a bearing
  • Compliance with CEMA and most national design standards

Carpenter Advanced Ceramics’ advanced process technologies provide you with the strongest, toughest, most consistent Mg-PSZ available. The hardness, corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance of Z-Bearings make them ideal in applications where abrasion takes its toll on unlubricated bearings, journals and shafts.

Z-Bearings for Screw Conveyors

Carpenter Mg-PSZ is as tough as cast iron, has a tensile strength and a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to mild steel, but with four times the compressive strength of mild steel and very high thermal stability.

Long lasting Z-Bearings can provide significant reductions in maintenance costs, making them the best choice for replacement of conventional metal hanger bearings.

Z-Bearings are available in CEMA standard diameter sizes of 1-1/2”, 2”, 2-7/16”, 3” and 3-7/16” styles #216 and #226. Upon request, we can manufacture practically any size or design to meet your specifications.

Currently, Carpenter Advanced Ceramics’ Z-Bearings are successfully employed in the following industries:

  • Power and Energy
  • Mining, Smelting and Refining
  • Pulp and Paper
  • Chemicals and Minerals
  • Grain Handling
  • Foods
  • Cement

Z-Bearings work when other materials fail. Here are several impressive case histories:

Nickel Refinery:  Handling pyrophoric cobalt sulfide powder. Screw conveyor with 316 stainless steel shaft and Ni-hard bearings. Running at 50 rpm in a temperature of 266°F (130°C).
Problem:  Bearing failure and consequent severe wear of screw flight and trough due to pick-up and galling causing shaft and bearing to bind together, requiring replacement every 5-6 months.
Solution:  Z-Bearings installed. Top and bottom halves supplied to accommodate “float” in the shaft.
Result:  Complete elimination of metal pick-up and galling. Bearing and shaft have not needed replacement for over three years.

Steel Mill:  Dust collection system. Screw conveyor with hard iron bearings, conveying iron fillings, iron particulate, high calcium lime, dolomite lime and slag dust.
Problem:  Bearing deterioration, resulting in shaft and screw trough replacement every two months due to adverse environment. Cost prohibitive because of material and labor on ten such systems (enclosed system making it difficult to access and perform maintenance).
Solution:  Z-Bearings installed in bottom half only.
Result:  No problems in over one year.

Cement Plant:  Moving a combination of Portland™ cement and granulated blast furnace slag. Screw conveyor with hard iron bearings, enclosed in furnace area at a temperature of approximately 400°F (204°C), running at 12-14 rpm and moving 150 tons/ hour.
Problem:  Bearing is completely destroyed in 10-12 weeks. Replacement and downtime are very costly due to inaccessibility of the bearing.
Solution:  Z-Bearings installed in bottom half only.
Result:  Little noticeable wear in nearly one year of operation.

If you have problems with battery mix handling components or battery tooling, Carpenter Advanced Ceramics can help you develop a solution,
so contact your nearest Carpenter sales office.



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