Sealed Bearing Cartridges Are Self-lubricating

Chadds Ford, Pa., May 18, 2006 - Newly developed sealed bearing cartridges from GGB, formerly Glacier Garlock Bearings, offer a cost-effective, maintenance-free alternative to conventional greased bronze, hardened steel and rolling-element bearings in demanding applications. These include off-highway, construction and earth-moving equipment, where they can be used in dump-body pivots; critical clearance and articulating joints; linkage and king pins; lift and steering cylinders; and frame/walking beam, suspension/track and axle trunnions. Because they are self-lubricating, the sealed bearing cartridges eliminate the need for continuous maintenance, costly automated greasing systems and environmentally harmful lubricants. Capable of handling loads of up to 90,000 lbf/in² (620 Mpa), they provide superior wear rate, which averaged just 13 percent of that exhibited by hardened steel bearings in independent tests. The bearing cartridges are also dimensionally stable and provide excellent corrosion resistance. Integral lip seals exclude contaminants from the bearings, and a zinc-plated steel outer shell protects them from compressive loads. The sealed bearing cartridges are available with GGB's GAR-MAX® or High-Strength GAR-MAX® (HSG(TM)) filament-wound plain bearings. Both feature a sliding layer composed of continuous-wound PTFE and high-strength fibers encapsulated in an internally lubricated, high-temperature filled epoxy resin. Backing the sliding layer is continuous-wound fiberglass encapsulated in a high-temperature epoxy resin. The new bearing cartridges come in a range of standard dimensions to accommodate shaft diameters of 1" to 4" (25mm-100mm) and housing bores from 1.75" to 4.875" (41mm-122mm). They also can be produced to non-standard dimensions to meet customers' specific requirements. About GGB GGB is the global leader in high-duty, polymer-based bearings, which include its well known DU and DX steel-backed polymer products. It has manufacturing plants in the U.S., France, Germany, Slovakia and Brazil. The company serves more than 50,000 customers worldwide through 22 operating units in 19 countries. It is an EnPro Industries, Inc. (NYSE: NPO) company. www.ggbearings.com