Custom plain bearings
The demand for custom non-standard plain bearings is increasing. We can manufacture copper alloy materials to meet China’s national standards as well as the ASTM (UNS, SAE), EU, and JIS standards.
Bespoke plain bearings
viiplus collaborates with customers to find tailored solutions, offering plain bearings in various materials, sizes, tolerances, and designs.
Timely Delivery
Committed to meeting tight deadlines without compromising on quality, we ensure reliable and efficient production timelines.
Versatility
Capable of handling both small-scale and high-volume orders, we provide seamless support for projects of any size. Additionally, we can develop custom copper alloy materials based on specific customer requirements and drawings.
Custom Machined Bronze Parts & Bearings
What is a bearing bushing?
A bearing bushing is a plain bearing in sleeve form: a cylindrical liner placed between a rotating or sliding shaft and its housing to carry load while limiting friction and wear. Unlike a rolling-element bearing, a bushing has no balls or rollers; the shaft slides directly against the bushing’s running surface, supported by a film of lubricant, by embedded solid lubricant, or by a porous oil reservoir.
Plain bushings are chosen where space is tight, loads are high and speeds are moderate or low, and where a simple, robust sleeve outperforms a more complex assembly. They are produced from many base materials – bronze, bimetal, steel-backed polymer and sintered alloys among them – but bronze remains the most common base for industrial and off-highway duty because of its friction behaviour, embeddability and corrosion resistance.
Oilless Bushing Material, Machining Parts
Custom Bearings & Self-Lubricating Bronze Bushing to Client Specifications
Discover the complete material selection and application matrix for oilless bronze bushings. Compare CuZn25Al5, CuAl10Ni, and ASTM/EN equivalents for heavy-duty industrial friction solutions.
The first sourcing decision is the bushing construction, because it determines lubrication strategy and load capacity. The table below summarises the common forms a bearing bushing supplier can provide.
| Type | Base material | Lubrication | Load / speed profile | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid bronze bushing | Cast tin, leaded or aluminum bronze | Oil / grease; oil grooves cut as needed | High load, low to moderate speed | Gears, pivots, heavy shafts |
| Wrapped (thin-wall) bronze bushing | Bronze lining on steel strip | Oil / grease; perforations or pockets hold lubricant | Moderate load, higher speed, compact wall | Automotive and general industrial pivots |
| Bimetal bushing | Bronze sinter on steel backing | Oil / grease | Moderate load with thin wall and good heat path | Con rods, linkage, compressors |
| Self-lubricating graphite bushing | Bronze matrix with embedded graphite plugs | Solid graphite film, minimal external lube | Low speed, high load, hard-to-lubricate positions | Presses, molds, slow oscillating joints |
| Sintered (oil-impregnated) bushing | Powder-metal bronze | Reservoir oil released by capillary action | Light load, moderate speed, maintenance-free | Small mechanisms, domestic and office equipment |
Table 1. Common bushing constructions. Selection follows from load, speed, lubrication access and available radial space, not from a single “default” grade.
Bronze alloy selection
Once the construction is fixed, the alloy defines wear life, corrosion resistance and the temperature ceiling. Values below are continuous-cast minima or typical values where noted; confirm against the casting route and the supplier’s material test certificate.
Sn bronzeCuSn12 — CC483K / C90800
| Property | Continuous-cast value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Cu bal.; Sn 10.5–13.0; Pb ≤0.7; Zn ≤0.5; P ≤0.6 | Ni, Fe, Mn present as minor elements |
| Tensile strength Rm | ≥300 MPa | EN 1982 continuous-cast minimum |
| Yield Rp0.2 | ≥150 MPa | |
| Elongation A | ≥6% | |
| Hardness | ≥90 HBW | |
| Density | ≈8.8 g/cm³ |
Table 2. CuSn12 (CC483K / C90800) continuous-cast properties. Centrifugal-cast values follow the same standard family but from a different route.
CuSn12 is a hard, fine-grained tin bronze with strong wear resistance and good corrosion resistance, including in seawater. Its machinability is moderate (about 30 on the free-cutting brass = 100 scale), which is adequate for precision bushing geometries. It suits heavy-load, low-speed bushings, worm gears, marine hardware and pump bushes.
Sn bronzeCuSn10 — C90500 / CC480K
| Property | Continuous-cast value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Cu bal.; Sn 9.0–11.0; Pb ≤0.5; Zn ≤0.5; P ≤1.0 | General-purpose tin bronze |
| Tensile strength Rm | ≥280 MPa | |
| Yield Rp0.2 | ≥170 MPa | |
| Elongation A | ≥10% | |
| Hardness | ≥80 HBW | |
| Density | ≈8.8 g/cm³ |
Table 3. CuSn10 (C90500 / CC480K) continuous-cast properties.
CuSn10 is a widely used general bearing bronze, slightly softer than CuSn12 but easier to machine and economical. It is a sound starting point for moderate-load industrial bushings where extreme wear resistance is not the primary driver.
LeadedCuPb10Sn10 — C93700 / CC495K
| Property | Continuous-cast value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Cu bal.; Sn 9.0–11.0; Pb 8.0–11.0; Zn ≤0.5; Ni ≤1.0 | Lead improves machinability and embeddability |
| Tensile strength Rm | ≥220 MPa | |
| Yield Rp0.2 | ≥110 MPa | |
| Elongation A | ≥8% | |
| Hardness | ≥70 HBW | |
| Density | ≈8.9–9.0 g/cm³ |
Table 4. CuPb10Sn10 (C93700 / CC495K) continuous-cast properties.
The lead phase raises machinability (near 70–80 on the free-cutting scale) and lets the surface embed small debris, protecting the shaft. The trade-off is a lower practical service-temperature ceiling: lead softens well below 327 °C, so for continuous high-temperature duty a lead-free tin or aluminum bronze is the more appropriate choice.
Mn bronzeCuZn25Al5 — C86300 (SAE 430B)
| Property | Typical value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Cu 60–66; Zn bal.; Al 5.0–7.5; Mn 2.5–5.0; Fe 2.0–4.0; Ni ≤1.0 | High-tensile manganese brass |
| Tensile strength Rm | 750–850 MPa | Typical, not a minimum |
| Yield Rp0.2 | ≥427 MPa | |
| Hardness | 210–250 HBW | Typical |
| Density | 7.83 g/cm³ | |
| Service temperature | ≈260 °C ceiling | De-stress 260 °C ×1 h per 25 mm |
| Machinability | 8 (free-cutting brass = 100) | Slow, robust tooling required |
Table 5. CuZn25Al5 (C86300) typical properties. Because values are typical rather than minima, design to the lower allowable working figures, not the peak.
CuZn25Al5 is a very high-strength, shock-resistant alloy for heavy, slow, shock-loaded bushings. In its graphite-embedded form it becomes a maintenance-reduced bushing for presses, hydraulic cylinders and mining equipment. Its compressive deformation limit is high, which is why it is selected where impact and brinelling are concerns.
Al bronzeCuAl10Ni5Fe4 — C63000 / C95800 (CC333G)
| Property | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Cu bal.; Al 8.5–11.0; Ni 4.0–6.0; Fe 3.0–5.0; Mn ≤1.5 | Nickel-aluminum bronze |
| Tensile strength Rm | 620–760 MPa | |
| Hardness | 187–248 HBW | |
| Density | ≈7.58 g/cm³ |
Table 6. CuAl10Ni5Fe4 (C63000) properties. C95800 / CC333G is a related casting grade with comparable corrosion resistance.
Aluminum bronze combines high strength with strong resistance to seawater, cavitation and erosion. It is the common choice for marine and offshore bushings, pump and valve components, and heavy-industry positions exposed to corrosive media.
Cross-standard equivalence
Buyers often receive the same alloy under different designations. The mapping below is comparable — similar but not identical. Composition windows and property minima differ between EN, UNS, DIN, JIS, GB and legacy BS systems, so confirm the exact standard called up on the drawing.
| Alloy family | EN 1982 | UNS | Legacy / other | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tin bronze, ~12% Sn | CC483K (CuSn12-C) | C90800 | PB2 (BS 1400); 2.1052 (DIN) | Comparable |
| Tin bronze, ~10% Sn | CC480K (CuSn10-C) | C90500 | SAE 65 | Comparable |
| Leaded tin bronze | CC495K (CuPb10Sn10-C) | C93700 | SAE 67 | Comparable |
| Manganese bronze | CC762S (CuZn25Al5) | C86300 | SAE 430B; HTB3 (BS 1400) | Comparable |
| Nickel-aluminum bronze | CC333G (CuAl10Fe5Ni5) | C95800 / C95500 | CW307G | Comparable |
Table 7. Designation mapping is approximate. Treat “comparable” as a starting cross-reference, validated against the controlling specification.
type of Custom Bearings & Bushings, Flanged Bearings, Custom Oilless Bronze Bushings, Custom Sliding Bearing
Custom Bearings & Bushings Materials & Alloys We Machine
Material Selection
Bronze Alloy Composition
Casting
Centrifugal casting, continuous casting
Machining
Precision Machining
Quality Inspection
Material Testing, Surface Inspection
VIIPLUS Industries Served, Custom Bearings & Bushings Material
Casting and manufacturing routes
The casting route changes the microstructure and therefore the properties. A bearing bushing supplier should state which route produced the bar or tube the part is machined from.
- Continuous casting — produces dense, fine, directionally solidified grain with consistent properties along the length; the usual route for bushing stock.
- Centrifugal casting — high density at the working surface, good for larger diameters and sleeves.
- Sand casting — flexible for low volumes and complex shapes, with broader property scatter than continuous or centrifugal routes.
- Sintering (powder metallurgy) — used for oil-impregnated bushings; porosity holds the lubricant reservoir.
- Wrapped composite — a thin bronze layer bonded to steel strip, then formed into a sleeve; thin wall, good for higher speeds.
VIIPLUS Self-Lubricating & Oilless Bearing Systems
Product information is organized into five modules: Bushes, Dry bush, Sinter bush, Spherical bearing, and Plates. A short prerequisite on sliding partners applies to all modules.
Prerequisite — Sliding Partner & Clearance
Valid for every product module below. For stable sliding performance, the mating partner should meet:
| Material | Gas-nitrided or hardened steel alloys |
|---|---|
| Hardness | HRC > 35 |
| Hardness differential | Minimum 100 HB versus the sliding material |
| Surface roughness | Rz = 3 … 6.3 µm (ground) |
| Running clearance | A small clearance is required; a “zero” clearance fit is not possible with solid-lubricant bronze (risk of seizure). For very small stroke movements, contact the VIIPLUS technical department. |
| Shaft tolerance | Shaft h6 – h9 with bushing E7 |
VIIPLUS graphite-embedded bronze oilless bushing (JDB Series) uses solid graphite lubricant depots for maintenance-free operation. Upon press-in, the bore narrows from tolerance field F7 to H7. Conditions to be met:
- Housing bore tolerance H7
- Adequate housing wall thickness
- Controlled optimum wall strength of the bushing socket
A small running clearance is required for solid-lubricant distribution; “zero” clearance is not possible (see Prerequisite). For very small stroke movements, contact the VIIPLUS technical department.
VIIPLUS lead-free composite dry-running bushing is intended for maintenance-free plain bearings that preferentially run dry (without added lubricant). Produced from thin-walled strip, rolled and calibrated, with the butt joint parallel to the bushing axis.
| Properties |
|
|---|---|
| Running-in | During the first hours of operation an adaptation process occurs on the sliding surfaces of shaft and bushing: the shaft surface is smoothed and absorbs part of the PTFE sliding layer. |
| Shaft tolerance | Shaft h6 – h9 with bushing E7 |
VIIPLUS sintered bronze bushing (SAE-841) is oil-impregnated for self-lubrication.
- During installation and storage, keep bushings away from absorbent materials to prevent rapid oil loss. Original packaging is preferred.
- If oil loss occurs, re-impregnate by dipping in hot oil at 80 °C and allowing it to cool within the oil.
- Additional lubrication is normally not required but may be beneficial under extreme operating conditions.
| Finishing (sintered materials) | diamond tools; cutting speed 100 – 150 m/min. Do not rub or grind sliding surfaces of oil-impregnated bearings (closes pores). |
|---|---|
| Special dimensions | Many special sizes available in standard (E7 / r7) or special tolerances; thin-walled bearing length tolerance (t < 2): h14. |
| Impregnation oil | Standard ISO VG 68; operating temperature −12 °C to +90 °C; viscosity °E/50 °C 3–5, cSt 20–35. Alternative lubricants for extreme loads/temperatures/speeds. |
VIIPLUS spherical plain bearing provides articulation with a maintenance-free sliding pair. For good solid-lubricant distribution a small running clearance is required (see Prerequisite). Recommended tolerances by load class:
| Medium loads | Heavy loads | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | H7 | N7 |
| Shaft | g6 | e7 |
VIIPLUS oilless guide plates, angle strips, and custom-contour sliding elements (graphite-embedded bronze or composite) are supplied for dies, fixtures, and machinery ways.
| Clearance range | Depending on application and required accuracy, 0.02 – 0.15 mm |
|---|---|
| General guide slides | Lateral clearance 0.05 mm, vertical clearance 0.1 mm |
| Centering | Where guides are repeatedly spread apart in service, provide correspondingly generous centering chamfers / features on the mating part. |
For non-standard geometries, angles strips, and tolerances, contact the VIIPLUS technical department.
