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APPLICATION PROFILE:
Roller Thrust Bearing Assembly
Hartford was approached by a large automotive seat mechanism
manufacturer to solve a critical design issue. The problem was in the
drive gear assembly for the seat adjuster. Excessive friction from the
motor to the screw drive mechanism (which adjusts the seat) resulted
in heat build-up that caused the plastic housing to melt. The result
was failure of the seat unit.
The manufacturer consulted with Hartford material and manufacturing
specialists to see what solutions could be identified. Standard thrust
bearings were considered, but no standard size would fit within the
housing, so a custom bearing was developed. A related issue regarded
the fact that thrust bearings consist of three parts: two washers and a
retainer of balls or rollers.
During assembly, the operator had to carefully position washer-retainer-
washer in order for the retainer to perform properly. If they placed
washer-washer-retainer, a major failure of the unit was inevitable.
To streamline the assembly process and eliminate potential scrap issues,
a specially designed, cage-style thrust bearing was developed by Hartford R&D.
This custom caged thrust bearing encapsulates the two washers within
the cage that holds the retainer, and keeps them in place during assembly.
This allows the operator to rapidly insert the bearing into the assembly
without concern over the direction of insertion, or proper orientation.
This solution also allows the cage to sit below the face of the washers,
so that loading can extend beyond the edges of the washers. This creates
a larger, more convenient loading surface area that is not constrained by
the diameter of the thrust bearing.
This custom solution was distinctive in several ways. Unlike conventional encapsulated thrust bearings, the Hartford retainer held the assembly
together and did not interfere with the bearing surface. The cage-style
assembly allowed for increased productivity and reduction in scrap rates.
The design allowed the customer to solve a issue without the expense
of retooling the other components.
This solution produced a substantial design advantage which helped
solve a problem without expensive retooling or changes to the
existing assembly process.
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