Vesconite Bearings has introduced 3D polymer sleeve bushings as stock items. Printer users can now replace bronze sleeve bushings or linear ball bearings with polymer sleeve bushings produced by Vesconite Bearings.


Initially five of the most common 3D bushing sizes will be available, namely:
- LM6UU - 12mm (OD) x 6mm (ID) x 19mm (length);
- LM8UU - 15mm (OD) x 8mm (ID) x 24mm (length);
- LML8UU - 15mm (OD) x 8mm (ID) x 45mm (length);
- LM10UU - 19mm (OD) x 10mm (ID) x 29mm (length);
- LM12UU - 21mm (OD) x 12mm (ID) x 30mm (length).


They have two grades available, Vesconite Hilube (White) and Vesconite Superlube (Pink), the latter having the lowest coefficient friction and thus being the superior grade.
While other sizes are not stocked, custom bearings can be manufactured quickly and easily with custom lengths and diameters.
The material is self-lubricating and requires no greasing, so bushings require little maintenance. Because there is no gritty grease that can get embedded in the rod’s mating surface, wear caused by constant movement of this contaminated mixture is eliminated. The absence of a metal-on-metal contact not only eliminates wear but also results in less noise. In an industry where printing can take many hours or days, this is a significant benefit for the users.


Hilube has an unlubricated coefficient of friction on steel of 0.1, and can go as low as 0.08 on polished steel. This makes bushing movement along the rod particularly smooth and eliminates the problem of the jerky motion (stick slip) when the extruder on the 3D printer moves to a new location.
Customers who have already installed our bearings in their 3D printers are consistently satisfied and see significant improvements in terms of print quality, wear, maintenance and noise.