Trelleborg launches Orkot C620 high-load composite bearings

Trelleborg launched Orkot C620, a high-load thermoset composite with ultra-low friction and high compressive strength.

Features of low friction and strong strength

Featuring a strong glass fiber backing with a low-friction Orkot lining, the new composite bearing material builds upon regular Orkot composite formulations with a unique compound where the properties of the different layers increase load capacity and strength.

Orkot C620 is with higher load capacity and strength.

It functions without compromising weight while reducing friction and eliminating maintenance to maximize efficiency and service life.

The material’s compressive strength is of 470 MPa, which is five times the compressive strength of standard Orkot materials. It is both stronger, with better friction characteristics, and even challenge many metallic bearings for strength.

Orkot® C620 has been extensively tested for its mechanical properties, thermal expansion and fluid compatibility. It also meets standards including AS 9100, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

Wide range of applications

With its unique characteristics, Orkot C620 is ideal for a wide variety of sectors with demanding high-load applications.

In aerospace, it is ideal for landing gear applications, providing the required strength of a comparable metal bearing with significant weight reduction, increasing fuel efficiency and allowing more passenger and luggage capacity.

Its ultra-low friction enables smoother flying while its durability reduces airlines’ lost revenue from downtime.

The material also delivers outstanding performance in offshore and marine applications. For offshore wind turbines, it reduces maintenance requirements for deep-sea mooring connections and provides electrical isolation, enhancing corrosion resistance while resisting high loads from rough ocean currents.

In wind turbine pitch cylinders, it provides a very low coefficient of friction, allowing smooth operation at high loads and low speeds.

For cranes, the material’s flexibility allows to compensate for shaft misalignments and be customizable to the design envelope of the application. In slewing bearings, it provides excellent stick-slip properties to ensure smooth movement of the boom and load.

In floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) mooring infrastructure, Orkot C620 has low wear rates in fairhead and tensioner applications, low friction and minimal stick-slip, making it ideal for slow movements in FPSO turrets and swivel stacks. In mid-water arches, it is strong to withstand high loads on supporting risers, cables and umbilicals.

Last but not least, the material also excels in off-highway applications like excavators. It withstands high loads in boom pivots when excavating large volumes of material.

Its low stick-slip allows efficient and smooth operation of hydraulic cylinder pivots bearing heavy and valuable loads. At the same time, its durability extends the service life of track rollers and undercarriages in dynamic applications by reducing wear.

In bucket linkages, it resists impacts of up to 200 KJ/m², demonstrating resilience in applications that experience shocks and vibration. Orkot® C620 Wear Rings in hydraulic cylinder rod guides reduce stick-slip to manage an excavator's sharp and repetitive movements.