Erie Bronze & Aluminum is an aluminum casting supplier that manufactures high-quality castings used to produce bearings and housing units, among other components. The company offers unmatched quality in both metallurgical consistency and the elimination of porosity for all aluminum bearing castings, bearing housings, and labyrinth seal castings.
Bearings are machined parts that reduce friction and facilitate motion between moving parts, while bearing housings protect the bearings as well as the equipment in close proximity. Aluminum bearing castings and bearing housings are utilized by many industries. Erie Bronze & Aluminum supplies the many facets of the defense industry with aluminum bearing castings and bearing housings.
Uses of Bearings in the Defense Industry
Bearings can be found in nearly every industry and application that involves motion. Every sector that uses machinery or involves motor mechanics requires bearings in order for its equipment to properly operate. This means that bearings are critical components in both civilian and military machinery and equipment.
The demand for bearings is closely linked to the state of engineering industries and capital goods, and demand is expected to rise in these areas over the coming years. Sectors such as motor vehicle manufacturing, construction, and mining are on the rise. Likewise, aluminum bearing casting use in engines, turbines, robotics and automation, machine tools, power transmission machinery, among many other applications is expected to rise as well.
Research and development has led to the introduction of various industry-specific bearing solutions, particularly in the fields of aerospace and defense. Technological advancements have yielded the production of highly advanced, specialized bearings. For example, “smart bearings” are now capable of incorporating sensor units, enabling more precise feedback, greater control, and increased reliability. Aluminum bearing castings for the defense industry and aerospace sector are frequently used in a variety of applications, including gearboxes, tilting mechanisms, and shock absorbers.
As a leading aluminum bearing casting supplier, Erie Bronze & Aluminum’s castings are everywhere and can be found in everything from vehicles to large industrial compressors in the defense industry and beyond. While their aluminum castings are commonly used in the compressor industry, Erie Bronze & Aluminum’s aluminum bearing castings are also commonly found in the oil and gas production sector, the chemical industry, defense and naval applications, cryogenic refrigeration, additive manufacturing, and robotics. Erie Bronze & Aluminum’s castings can be used for numerous applications within those industries, including HVAC components, hydraulic components, electric motor components, engines, pistons, pumps, and valves.
How We Die-Cast Bearings for the Defense Industry
Erie Bronze & Aluminum’s metals are alloyed and tested in-house using a SPECTROLAB metal analyzer. This capability ensures that the exact quality standards and ISO requirements are met for specific defense industry applications. In fact, Erie Bronze & Aluminum can go so far as to test the exact chemistry of every ladle poured. As a result, rather than purchasing ingot, Erie Bronze & Aluminum can drive costs down by alloying the material in-house, with the added benefit of delivering higher quality aluminum bearing castings that meet even the most exacting defense industry requirements.
Contributing to their ability to meet customer specifications, Erie Bronze & Aluminum also has the capability to customize the outside diameter, inside diameter, and the overall length of rough machined aluminum castings. They are the first US-based foundry to utilize a Foundry Degassing Unit, a state-of-the-art metal treatment and gas analyzing technology. Together, Erie Bronze and Aluminum’s proprietary casting process and degassing technology help remove trapped gasses from the molten metal and ensures even distribution of tin throughout the aluminum casting process. Their foundry produces three aluminum alloys: 850, 852, and 443. Each of these alloys has excellent bearing qualities, including good compressive yield. These aluminum alloys allow Erie Bronze and Aluminum to manufacture castings, including aluminum bearing castings, with superior machinability and lubricity compared to parts made from other materials like plastics and AL6061.
As is the case in many other sectors, bearings for the defense industry can be deployed in any one of a number of different applications, each with specific requirements and demands. Erie Bronze & Aluminum’s in-house capabilities and technology result in the ability to meet these standards while closely monitoring and controlling many aspects of the production process, if that is required. It enables the production of the highest quality aluminum bearing castings in a cost-effective and time-sensitive manner.
Erie Bronze & Aluminum – Aluminum Bearing Castings
Erie Bronze & Aluminum has refined their proprietary aluminum casting process over the course of more than 20 years. They apply all of this experience to manufacturing castings for bearings, bearing housings, and other industrial applications. They supply aluminum tubes and rings rough machined to customers’ exact specifications to help drive down machining costs and minimize excess material.
Many industries utilize Erie Bronze & Aluminum’s aluminum bearing castings, including the defense industry. The three aluminum alloys produced in their foundry allow for castings with superior machinability and lubricity compared to parts made from other materials. This allows their bearings for the defense industry to be used in many applications with confidence, knowing that they meet every standard and requirement.
