Bushings Control Friction in Machinery
Operating most machines that are used for industrial applications involve movement of internal components. During movement, no matter how careful the person is, several parts will rub against each other. Typically, these parts will resist the motion of other parts, and this is referred to as friction. Too much friction though will have harsh effects on machine parts, and eventually, damage from wear and tear will occur and the machines won’t operate as efficiently as they used to.
A good example of the harsh effects of friction is your bicycle. If you frequently use your old bicycle to run errands around your block, you’d notice eventually that several of its components that rub against each other like the chainring bolt, chainring, and crankset will not operate as well as they used to. Thus, you’d likely feel that you need to pedal harder than what you are used to, and when this happens, you will need to apply some lubrication to the pedal and its surrounding parts.
In industrial machines though, lubricating the parts is not enough to reduce the effects of friction. A component called, “bushing” needs to be added to the rotating or pivoting parts. Bushings are made of different materials, and each one fulfills a specific need. A plastic flange bushing is ideal for environments that has high temperatures.
Advanced EMC Technologies 