Evonik has introduced a new tribological material intended for use in slide bearings operating in high-temperature and high-pressure environments. The VestaKeep Easy Slide 2 product, based on PEEK, polyether ether ketone, can be used either as a polymer coating in hybrid bearings or as a full PEEK-based bearing, depending on the requirements of the application. The material is intended primarily for injection molding, but it can also be extruded. According to the manufacturer, the new material is part of the strategy to develop tribological applications for PEEK products offered by the High Performance Polymers segment. The company states that the development of this material group includes cooperation with customers from industry, the medical sector and the robotics industry in order to solve particularly demanding application problems. Christopher Studte, head of the Industrial PEEK segment in Evonik’s High Performance Polymers business line, said: "The launch of the VestaKeep Easy Slide 2 material is part of our business line’s strategy to expand the range of tribological applications for our innovative PEEK-based products. This includes working with customers in industry, the medical sector and the robotics industry to solve their particularly challenging needs."
The new material is produced without intentionally added fluoropolymers such as PTFE. As the company states, fluoropolymers are commonly used in polymer-based slide bearings due to their desirable performance properties. Evonik also reports that an extensive set of test data confirms the material’s friction and wear properties, which is intended to support customers in selecting and calibrating the solution for a specific application. Philipp Kilian, research and development program manager for PEEK in the High Performance Polymers business line, stated: "Comprehensive test data has shown that VestaKeep Easy Slide 2 has superior tribological properties, especially in resistance to high temperature, pressure and velocity, compared with other polymer-based slide bearing materials currently on the market. In addition, VestaKeep Easy Slide 2 demonstrated very good results compared with other polymer bearings, as well as traditional metal bearings, in dry-running and lubricated slide bearing tests at various temperatures."
Applications and declared benefits
According to Evonik, VestaKeep Easy Slide 2 is suitable for use in slide bearings, thrust washers and seals operating under demanding conditions. The company indicates that users may benefit from the material’s low weight, as well as improved energy efficiency and noise damping in many applications. An important aspect from the perspective of industrial implementation is also the ability to process the material by injection molding, which may support cost efficiency, especially in large-scale production. Christopher Studte said: "Our PEEK-based VestaKeep Easy Slide 2 is a very good solution for slide bearings, thrust washers and seals operating under demanding conditions. Customers will benefit from the product’s low weight, as well as improved energy efficiency and noise damping in many applications. VestaKeep Easy Slide 2’s compatibility with injection molding will also provide customers with greater cost efficiency, especially when scaling up production to large volumes."
The company announces that it will make extensive test data on the material’s friction and wear properties available to customers in order to enable optimal calibration of parameters for a specific application.
