Fire Hits ACM Bearings

Fire Hits ACM Bearings ACM Bearings Ltd. (Advanced Composite Materials, UK; website) suffered moderate damage in a recent fire at its manufacturing facility in West Wath Industrial Estate, Rotherham. The company's product line incudes both a wide range of composite materials and bearing-related items. Fiber reinforced plastic laminates, the company notes, are particularly well suited to high-load bearing applications. ACM manufactures its composites by taking synthetic fiber, then impregnating and thermosetting resins and solid-lubricant fillers. All of the synthetic materials are food grade, allowing those applications, and also are versatile enough that they can be used in applications needing cryogenic exposure. The fire reportedly hit ACM's raw materials processing area, with damage more limited in the finished bearing and component manufacturing area. Due to the large amounts of potentially biohazardous composites and raw materials located at ACM, firefighters were forced to call in backup from four stations and put a decontamination unit on standby. Bringing the blaze under control quickly, firefighters were able to avoid the need to call in remediation or decontamination. ACM was Founded in 1988 and has been under its current ownership structure since 2002. While it often works directly with customers and engineers for specific application needs, ACM also works through a network of more than 20 distributors worldwide. ACM markets the finished composite materials as both tube and sheet. The company also uses those composites to produce structural bearings, washers, wear rings, sphericals, wear pads, wear strips, rollers, and bushings. One material, L2 Marine Grade, for example, is specifically formulated for use in marine environments, serving as an alternative to phosphor bronze. Example marine applications include rudder, water-lubricated stern tube, stabilizers, rope guards, hatch cover pads, and coupling covers. ACM is also an approved marine test facility. Another enhanced load grade material, L18, is designed to exceed the limits of bronze and go into the load areas of hardened steel. ACM claims the benefits of L18 include savings on shaft materials and grease, along with reduced service costs. The company's structural bearings (pictured), for bridges and buildings, are designed to replace the widely used metal / PTFE bearings and rubber pot bearings. ACM claims its bearings are, "the only major development in structural bearings for fifty years."