AMES Group Sintering S.A.
Innovations in self-lubricating sintered bearings: Ames-LFC® bearings for low friction and low noise, and Ames-U4® aluminium bearings for high corrosion resistance
Ames-LFC® is the range of self-lubricating bearings produced by AMES with low friction coefficient and low noise level.
Ames-LFC® are double-layer bearings. The core is a porous iron-based material, which provides low cost and high load capacity. The layer is a low friction porous tribological material, which provides low friction (< 0.01) and low noise level (only 32-33 dBA).
Compared to typical bronze sintered bearing for the same application, the Ames-LFC® bearings provide lower cost, lower noise level, and lower friction coefficient either at the beginning of the operation or in steady-state regime.
Typical applications of the Ames-LFC bearings are:
- Equipment requiring low electrical current consumption and/or low noise.
- Equipment working in start-stop conditions, where the initial friction coefficient must be minimized.
- Equipment working with stationary shaft and rotating bearing.
Examples of applications are electric motors for automotive industry (fans, sunroofs, mirrors, starters, brakes), and domestic electric motors used in household appliances or home fittings.
Ames-U4® is a new range of self-lubricating aluminium bearings.
The main advantage of Ames-U4 ® aluminium bearings is their high corrosion resistance. They are designed to work in corrosive environments in which bronze and iron suffer oxidation. They also have a low friction coefficient, between that of bronze and iron, and weigh less than both. Their working range is within a maximum PV of 1.8 MPa·m/s and a maximum speed of 2 m/s.
Many applications use technical plastic bearings because they withstand oxidizing work environments. The Ames-U4® self-lubricating aluminium bearings are an alternative that can work in the same conditions, providing good friction performance and at the maximum permissible load.