A manufacturer of satellite and telecommunications equipment, developed a television reception satellite dish for mounting atop recreational vehicles. The design requires a system of three uniquely designed custom pulleys that govern the raising, lowering, and rotation of the dish.
The Downside of Aluminum
Initially, the pulley system had been prototyped in aluminum. In testing, however, the customer experienced problems with both the weight and price of the production pulleys.
Nylon Delivers a Superior Product
Torque Transmission’s engineers designed a custom drive consisting of three L pitch pulleys with 14-, 32- and 36-teeth – all made to order.
The custom pulleys were injection molded of fiberglass reinforced nylon. The material and process would yield consistent, repeatable quality with a high value-to-cost ratio.
The resulting fiberglass reinforced nylon pulleys are both lighter in weight and lower in cost by 75%.
Further, all three pulleys exhibit consistent high tolerance levels. They maintain tensile and flexural strength through wide-ranging weather and environmental conditions, and they resist corrosion from road salt, acid rain and other chemicals.
And their performance as a system is enhanced by the natural lubricity inherent in the engineered nylon.
The challenge:
Develop three uniquely designed custom pulleys that govern the raising, lowering, and rotation of a television reception satellite dish for mounting atop recreational vehicles.
The Solution:
Torque Transmission’s engineers designed a custom drive consisting of three L pitch pulleys with 14-, 32- and 36-teeth – all made to order. The custom pulleys were injection molded of fiberglass reinforced nylon. The resulting fiberglass reinforced nylon pulleys are both lighter in weight and lower in cost by 75%.
Torque Transmission created the tooling, ran pre-production samples of all three pulleys for final approval, and delivered the first production release to the customer's Iowa headquarters.
The solution was achieved in less than five weeks from the approval of the engineering drawings – a deadline from which competing pulley manufacturers shied away.
The Advantages of Nylon Pulleys
Nylon pulleys are a great way to see the advantages of plastics in actions. Some of the benefits of a nylon pulley, rather than an all metal pulley, include:
- Cost-Effective
- High-Quality Construction: Nylon 33% glass fill and metal hub combination
- Noise Reduction: Smooth quiet operation
- Lighter weight and therefore less inertia
- Shock Resistance: Absorbs loads without breaking
- Lubricity: Nylon provides a natural lubricated surface, nonabrasive to belts, and requires no maintenance
- Chemical Resistant: Can be used in a variety of environmental conditions
- Longer Life: life expectancy is equal to or greater than aluminum
One of the biggest advantages of nylon, however, is that nearly any design requirement can be met. As was the case with these custom pulleys, nylon pulleys can be easily custom designed to meet a wide range of application requirements.
--
Download a printable version of the article by clicking on the image below...
Learn More!
Are you curious as to how injection-molded thermoplastic components might benefit your design and keep your project under budget? Contact Torque Transmission today to start the collaboration process. Our engineering staff is here to assist you.
Check out these related posts:
- Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon Pulleys Increase Productivity 35%
- Nylon Pulleys versus Metal Pulleys: Advantages of Nylon
