Reduction of the fluid lubricant use in heavy loaded motion transmission systems through the application of self-lubricant coatings

Project Information

Grant agreement ID: BRST985263

Project closed

Start date 15 October 1998

End date 14 October 2000

Funded under

• Specific research and technological development programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1994-1998

Total cost € 0,00

EU contribution No data

Coordinated by

Shuton S.A.
Spain

Deliverables

New ballscrews containing MoS2 coated balls with improved characteristics of working speed

Combining parts coated with a self-lubricant material based on MoS(2) and an oil-air lubrication systems, where oil is added periodically to an uninterrupted air stream, a new generation of ballscrews for machine-tool applications have been developed by SHUTON. These new ballscrew systems are able to reach a D-N factor up to 120.000 mm/rpm. After three hours of continuous working at so large D-N factor the temperature increase inside the nut was measured to be about 35 degree Celsius. Therefore, this new ballscrews are competitive against other very fast large load transmission devices. On the other hand, for those applications where extreme positioning precision is needed, and the increase of temperature inside the nut is limited at 25 degrees Celsius, this ballscrews are able to reach a D-N factor up to 90.000 mm/rpm.

New self-lubricant coating materials able to bear large contact pressure at relatively high sliding speed and/or low specific lubricant film thickness

Two coatings (sputtered carbon and MoS2 based) have been chosen and developed in Teer and all the results of test up to data appear to show these coatings have fitted the requirements for this project. In addition, the specific deposition processes have also been developed to coat real parts with complicate geometry such as gears, etc. and the process has also been scaled from small deposition system to large system to fit the increase of production for job coatings. These coatings can be applied not only onto heavily loaded mechanical components but also the cutting tools and thus appeared to show much more advantages than that of the traditional hard coatings, TiN, TiC, etc. These coating have been tested to have very good tribological properties in ordinary mineral oil and in dry environments. Comparing with other hard coatings, the advantages of sputtered carbon and MoS2 based coatings are solid lubricant and without causing wear to the opposing surface, low friction and low wear rate at extremely high load and thus the advantages of using these two coatings are means of increasing the life time of components, improving the standard of machinery, reducing the energy, decreasing the risk to environment, and improving the health and working conditions.