• Saint - Gobain Performance Plastics

Tolerance Rings for Quieter Electric Motors

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol has successfully completed a research programme confirming that Tolerance Ring Bearing Mounts increase electric motor and bearing life by causing less wear damage through vibration. By altering the characteristics of the joint between the bearing and the housing, the tolerance ring helps reduce the vibration within the bearing and reduces the amount of vibration energy being transferred to noise, enabling an electric motor to run much quieter and smoother, for longer. Electric motor failure can occur for a number of reasons, though an IEEE survey of faults on induction motors suggests that by far the biggest cause is the bearings, making up to 51% of all recorded failures. Bearings have several failure modes; vibration, shock loading, and mechanical stresses increase the rate of wear, and thermal fluctuation causes radial loading as clearances vary due to thermal expansion and contraction. In addition to improving the perceived quality of the electric motor and increasing motor and bearing life, tolerance rings can help the manufacturer realise significant cost benefits. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol Ltd is a world-class manufacturer and supplier of bespoke fastening solutions and has specialised in the manufacture of tolerance rings since 1982. It is the only company worldwide that focuses solely on the design and manufacture of tolerance rings.