PEEK Used In Overmolding Transmission Components Of All-Terrain Vehicle
Replacing a coated brass gear, is Victrex's PEEK compound in the robust overmolded steel drive shaft segment gear of BPG Werks all-terrain, dual-tracked vehicle
A PEEK compound that boasts excellent wear rates and a reduced and very stable coefficient-of-friction to meet the needs of automotive and industrial equipment manufacturers for wear at higher speeds and load application performance, is featured in the new Shredder all-terrain dual-tracked vehicle (DTV) designed for extreme sports or agricultural or forestry work from BPG Werks, Boston, Massachusetts.
Victrex WG PEEK compound from Victrex, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, was specified by BPG Werks working in conjunction with injection molder China Array Plastics, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who specializes in high-heat engineering thermoplastic components. Replacing a coated brass gear, which did not offer the required lifetime, the high-performance thermoplastic was shown to deliver a more durable, more reliable transmission solution, with remarkably smooth torque and acceleration response and offers lower vibration levels that add to the driving experience. Shredder users can often go from a complete stop to top speed even on steep, uneven terrain or through water, dust and rocky environments.
The vehicle’s patented CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) provides quick, reliable acceleration and outstanding torque response. To transfer power from the 13-horsepower, four-stroke engine to the heavy-duty rubber tracks, the polymer overmolded steel-drive segment gear needs to provide solid performance with low vibration and a long lifetime at high RPMs. China Array utilizes Victrex WG for two components in the CVT—sliders and insert keys. The company looked at a couple of other materials, including MoS2 coated bronze, but none demonstrated the same durability as the PEEK compound. The eight slider mechanisms--produced from the Victrex WG overmolded sliders and insert keys--are a key element of the CVT system. Sliding back-and-forth thousands of times within the transmission, while under load, the thermoplastic offers wear resistance while maintaining dimensional integrity.
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