Bearing Housing
Overview
Focus:
Production ReadinessIndustry:
IndustrialDimensions (mm):
50.8 x 50.8 x 50.8Weight (g):
217.720,000 Parts
Simulation
Low Alloy Steel
Short Lead Time
Rapid Response
Production Efficiency
Manufactured in our facility in Warsaw Illinois, Texmo Blank casts around 20,000 of these bearing housings for tractors per year. An existing client for whom we had made other components needed an alternative supplier for these parts as quickly as possible, and Texmo Blank was able to step in and fulfil the large scale order.
Material Selection
The bearing housings are made from low alloy steel 4140, which was the material chosen by the customer. This is a commonly used material in the agriculture industry, due to its toughness, high fatigue strength, and abrasion and impact resistance.
Risk Identification & Simulation
This was an unusual case for Texmo Blank. We were supplied with the tooling from a competitor who could no longer fulfil the order, and so we carried out simulations with the supplied gating to confirm that we could use it to cast the parts required of us.
We explained to the customer the risks of the tooling transfer. Differences in wax contraction from one foundry to another means that dimensionally parts will not be one-to-one, and so we reviewed the risks and explained them to the client.
Manufacturing Processes
For this casting we developed specific shelling processes capable of repeatedly building the fine internal geometry and machining processes that could consistently produce parts to suit the specifications. This was key as the part serves as a press fit for a bearing, meaning any dimensional issues are clearly apparent in the assembly process.
While doing this we faced challenges, as the centre of mass was off-centre. This meant there was a risk of ovality during machining. Special steps and tools were selected to ensure the castings were one hundred per cent correct.
Machining & Finishing
This part required challenging tight bores for the bearing surfaces. We were able to achieve this using our expertise with special tools and machine steps. We then tested that the part’s integrity was maintained throughout the machining process with non-destructive testing, dimensional analysis and functional testing.
Delivery
Delivery on this order needed to be quick, and the customer needed the whole order right away. Our competitor had let the customer down last minute, having given them only a few weeks’ notice that they would not be getting the parts they needed. Without a shipment of parts, the customer would have run out within three months and their production would have ground to a halt. With careful planning and risk mitigation we were able to deliver the parts within the timeframe the customer needed.
Impact
Quickly getting this part into production and then delivered prevented the customer from running out of parts and having a line down situation, which would have lost them hundreds of thousands of dollars every day they were not shipping the product.
We are proud that Texmo Blank was able to keep the production lines running and solve this problem so quickly and with no quality issues.
Get In Touch
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