Troy, Ohio – Freudenberg Sealing Techonologies is to supply injection moulded polyurethane bumpers to a US-based power-tool manufacturer. The US-manufactured bumpers will be used in electric nail guns.
The bumpers are designed to extend the life of power tools. They prevent the piston within the motor from damage caused by it striking the bottom of the cylinder. They also reduce noise, impact and shock for the operator in use.
The company is to supply 1.3m of the non-metric-sized bumpers, about 1.5 inches across, made from Disogrin 9250, a PU with excellent heat, fluid and wear resistance. The company claims it lasts longer than any other PU currently on the market.
Disogrin 9250 was developed by its parent company in Germany specifically for difficult hydraulic sealing applications. It has a service temperature range of –59°C to +149°C, and a tensile strength of 6500psi. It is compatible with petroleum-based, biodegradable, synthetic and natural ester-based fluids.
The bumper is being made in a dedicated production cell, which runs autonomously without employees, addressing a labour shortage. ‘We have high labour dependency that we have been unable to rectify and solve,’ said Jay White, the plant’s competence centre director for the plant’s fluid power division. ‘It’s important, as we bring in new business, to focus on new projects that are not as labour intensive as our existing processes.
He added that the bumper cell is a kick-off to more autonomy within the plant. ‘We are starting with these two machines, but will replicate and build on this approach by applying it to other new business and cells,’ he said. ‘We want to use our people where we really need them by increasing automation that does not require a full-time attendant.’
