Grooved Bronze Bushings
One of the bore options for sheaves is bronze bushings.
Generally, bronze bushings can be divided into 2 categories: oil-impregnated or grooved. Grooved bushings have a grooved machined in the inner diameter of the bushing to optimally distribute lubricant, which reduces friction and increases component life.
Bear Equipment manufactures custom grooved bushings to meet the specific sheave application needs.
Grooved bronze bushing fabrication starts with a tube of bronze SAE 660:
The bronze tubing is placed into the chuck of one of Bear Equipment’s live tooling CNC lathes:
The lathe pulls the tubing to the correct length out of the chuck to begin the machining process:
The outer diameter is machined to the specified diameter, within the proper tolerance:
The inner diameter is then machined to the specified diameter, within the proper tolerance:
Utilizing the live tooling feature of our CNC lathes, the figure 8 groove is machined into the inner diameter:
Finally, the bushing is parted off to the correct length:
