September 7, 2012 (Laconia, NH) - NHBB is pleased to announce the successful development and marketing of Oscimax®, a machinable self-lubricating liner system for use in a broad range of aerospace applications. NHBB has secured the first approval necessary to offer the technology to the global aerospace industry and has established manufacturing capabilities for the first of several planned production phases.
Oscimax® is rapidly earning a reputation for superb performance among industry associations, government agencies, and key aerospace customers. It also represents a significant expansion of NHBB’s value proposition, as it increases the company’s ability to solve customers’ bearing wear and life issues, particularly within complex assemblies.
The patent-pending Oscimax® system is a homogeneous liquid formulation consisting of a proprietary matrix of thermosetting polymeric resins, PTFE, and various other compounds. It can be applied to virtually any surface, including I.D.s, O.D.s, flanges, chamfers, and flat surfaces. Once applied, it produces a consistent, secure bond to aluminum and steel while promoting higher dynamic loads and significantly reduced wear rates.
Oscimax® is excellent for environmental conditions that expose a bearing to moisture, and for applications that require low torque and low friction. Such parameters are found in a broad range of aerospace applications, including engine controls, thrust reversers, wing surface controls, VGV systems, and mechanical and fly-by-wire flight control systems, to name a few.
Oscimax® offers several advantages over fabric-based self-lubricating liner systems: it is less susceptible to moisture gain, it performs more consistently through temperature changes and, because the liner is fully machinable, it can be held to tighter tolerances. When it comes to the critical factor of wear resistance, Oscimax® tests better than any of NHBB’s fabric-based liners, plus it tests very well against other machinable self-lubricating liner solutions.
Oscimax® is currently approved to the two aerospace standards related to bushings, AS81934 (25,000 cycles) and AS81934 Type A (100,000 cycles).* NHBB is pursuing additional industry and customer specifications, including the aerospace industry’s standard for self-lubricating machinable liners for spherical bearings (AS81820/25,000 cycles) and Boeing’s specification for bushings and bearings (BMS3-39). NHBB expects to achieve the AS81820 approval by mid 2013; qualification testing for Boeing’s BMS3-39 certification should be completed by mid to late 2013.
This exciting new technology was developed through collaboration between the product engineering group at NHBB’s Astro Division and the newly established New Product Development Center (NPDC), which was created to fully support the emerging technological requirements of NHBB's aerospace customers. The NPDC supports product development and testing throughout NHBB and all Minebea companies.
Oscimax® builds on NHBB’s commitment to supporting the needs of its aerospace customers, and joins a broad offering of self-lubricating liner solutions for commercial and military aircraft and helicopters. As NHBB researchers continue their drive to increase bearing system life and performance, customers continue to benefit through improved performance and reduced maintenance and repair costs.
Contact NHBB’s Astro Division for more information about Oscimax®.
*The version of Oscimax® qualified to AS81934 and AS81934 Type A is identified with the extension “XT.”
