High Performance Plastic Transmission Thrust Ring Converted From Aluminum To Molded PEEK Material By Minnesota Rubber And Plastics –They Have Longer Operating Life And Are Lighter Weight With Easier Assembly

Minneapolis, Minnesota: Motor vehicle designers requiring less weight, longer operating life, and easier assembly of components such as transmission thrust rings benefit from Minnesota Rubber and Plastics (MR&P) capabilities.

These thrust rings act as rotating planetary carriers for helical shaped ring gears in transmission assemblies. When precision molded of a high performance PEEK formulation by MR&P, they incur less heat and surface abrasion resulting in longer operating life than the aluminum components which they replace.

According to Minnesota Rubber and Plastics, their material formulation included PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) providing high temperature resistance (400° - 450° F), carbon fiber providing high wear resistance, and PTFE for reduced friction. In addition to proving to be more durable over time, the MR&P design was 50 percent lighter and cost significantly less than the aluminum thrust rings.

Important assembly benefits were accomplished with the new MR&P thrust ring design. The previous aluminum component design had two locating holes requiring tedious riveting and assembly. Accurate alignment was required to avoid wasted components and potential performance issues. The new MR&P design eliminated the locating holes and added self-aligning features for easy and fast press-fit assembly. Scrapped parts thus were eliminated.

Custom thrust rings may be combined with other high performance plastic and elastomer components to form a completed assembly for an even more cost effective design. These value-added services from MR&P will reduce component assembly time, material usage, vendor sources and capital expense.

In addition to PEEK, MR&P are specialists in working with the design, development and production of components using a full range of high performance plastics including PEI®, Aurum®, Torlon® and many others.

To further advance customer design and manufacturing programs, MR&P offers comprehensive design services. These include: preliminary engineering assistance and mechanical design review, and materials engineering including research and development into a full range of high performance plastics. MR&P also provides rapid mold design, development and prototype services, process engineering, and injection, compression, transfer and liquid silicone rubber molding including metal-to-plastics conversions.

MR&P has over 65 years experience serving a broad range of industries. MR&P's corporate-wide quality systems include: ISO 13485, ISO-TS 16949, and ISO 9000 in all facilities. These facilities operate under a corporate-wide Environmental Management System registered to the International Standards Organization series ISO-14001.